Windows 9 coming in 2015, will try its hardest to distance itself from the Windows 8 train wreck

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To distance itself from the Windows 8 snafu, Microsoft’s next major update — Threshold — will reportedly skip Windows 8.2 and jump straight to Windows 9. Windows 9 is expected to arrive in April 2015, with internal sources saying that Windows 9 will make good on many of the Windows 8 features that caused such cruel and unusual distress to Desktop users. The Start menu is expected to make its illustrious return, and you should be able to run Metro apps on the Desktop in windows. Microsoft is still on schedule to release Windows Phone 8.1 and a service/feature pack for Windows 8.1 at the Build conference in April.

This latest information comes from the ineffable and surprisingly handsome Paul Thurrott, who usually has pretty accurate sources when it comes to Microsoft leaks. We had previously heard about Threshold, but at the time we thought Microsoft would stick with the Windows 8 naming scheme. By moving to Windows 9, it definitely signals that Microsoft is looking to make drastic, significant changes. Windows 8 is almost completely characterized by the maligned Metro Start Screen. We would be surprised if Windows 9 did not change the primary interface in some way, so that it’s visually distinct from Windows 8 — so that users know that that it isn’t ewww Windows 8. Windows 9 might even boot straight to the Desktop, by default — at least on laptop and desktop PCs, anyway. (Read: How to bring back the Start menu and button in Windows 8.)

Windows 9 is also expected to feature Metro 2.0 — some kind of maturation of the current Metro design language that dominates the Windows 8 Start Screen and apps. It’s not immediately clear what Metro 2.0 will be exactly, but part of it appears to be the ability to run Metro apps in separate windows on the Desktop. Presumably, if Metro apps are going to be on the Desktop, they will also gain the ability to be controlled with a mouse and keyboard. (Navigating current Metro apps with your keyboard is unpleasant to say the least.) Windows 9 may also feature complete cross-platform app compatibility between Windows 9, Windows Phone 8.1, and the Xbox One — but really, it’s too early to tell at this point.

Steven Sinofsky, holding a Windows 8 tablet. The beginning of the end.

Thurrott’s other interesting tidbits revolve around April’s Build conference, which occurs a couple of weeks after the company finishes its huge internal reorganization. While the conference will be mostly focused on Windows Phone 8.1 and the Xbox One, there will apparently be a “vision announcement” for Windows 9 — something that we haven’t seen since 2003, when Microsoft unveiled Longhorn (which later became Vista). During Sinofsky’s rein, Microsoft’s Windows division has been incredibly secretive — this Windows 9 keynote probably won’t be quite as crazy and freewheeling as the olden days, but Microsoft hopes that it will enough to begin the process of healing the wounds left by Windows 8.

Of course, now that I mention Longhorn, it’s impossible to ignore the parallels between Vista and Windows 8. Both were victims of Microsoft’s long and slow development cycle: Slow and bloated Vista arrived just as netbooks were taking off, and Windows 8 — though its heart was almost in the right place — was a couple of years too late. Hopefully the successor to Windows 8 will be as good as good as Vista’s successor. Microsoft kind of needs a miracle for Windows Phone 8.1, too — if you think that adoption of Windows 8 has been bad, it’s even more anemic on the smartphone side of the equation. The next 12-18 months will be very important for Microsoft: It must either field a compelling OS and ecosystem for smartphones and tablets, or it runs the risk of fading into consumer obscurity.

Let’s hope they learn and remember some lesson from the Vista/Win8 debacles and we never see another total crap OS from MS again.

Heck, when Win9 succeeds they should bring Ballmer back for a round of applause.

Xplorer4x4

Just wait until Win 10..given MS’s pattern, they will do it wrong, or at least in the eyes of many people(since I personally like Win 8).

Hannah1189

I just started using Windows 8 and I’m in agreement: I love it. It’s user-friendly, easy to navigate; not like other OS’s (ahem, all iOS). I actually just purchased a Surface, and am contemplating the Nokia Lumia 928 for my next phone upgrade. Windows 8 took me literally five minutes to figure out, which is saying something, since I’m not exactly a computer guru.

havor

If they make it, that W9 has the desktop experience as W7, they have a winner, anything less they will be burned for it, more or less.

I really still are wondering what made them do it, abandoning there bread and butter desktop users in W8.

I use W8 and i actually like the OS, as many under the hood improvements are worth switching over to it for, but it was ridicules that i had to use 3th party programs and hacks to make the OS function the way i wanted it again.

Some times you have to force change, there was also a lot of resistance to the ribbon interface in Office, but after some resistance, most people mostly liked it, and it was a change for the good.

I think MS was thinking that again, and I do see the need for Metro, and it would be fine if they had made the the new UI optional, because on touchscreens, the new UI is better, but not on the desktop, and as people dont like change, specially forced up on them, and they really are unforgiven if its less efficient then the old way.

So if MS now lets people pick between what type of UI they wane use, and even let them switch if they use a hybrid device, W9 could be a winner again like W7.

But still wonder if by now they finally learned there lesson, and really start listening to there customers and acknowledge that they have to serve THERE needs and not there own, maybe then MS stands a change it will survive in the real long run.

Ray C

They have listened to customers on almost every product they have on the market with each update, but how can serve the needs of people who don’t know their own needs. Just like with X-Box situation. Microsoft got rid of the daily check in, then the same people who complained about it, criticized Microsoft of backtracking on their original idea. The other problem with serving people’s needs is people allow other people to change their needs. The majority of consumers could be satisfied with a product, then all it takes is a few people in media, blogs, and popular culture to say they don’t like it, and the tables all the sudden turn.

Okello

Not true. No one told me. Win8 made me feel like stupid.

stewpidyouare

Win8 made you feel like stupid because generally you are too stupid to use any OS on the shelf. Even you eat something delicious make you feel stupid. From there you will realize how stupid you are posting this stupid comment in the first place.

Stupid.

Nightgazer

Oh look, it’s a 5 year old kid.

Isn’t it nice how parents let their kids play on the computer nowadays.

Better run along home to mommy little one, you don’t want to be late for nap time since little kids need their rest.

stewpidyouare

Ah, somebody else got offended and made a poor judgement that I’m no more than a 5 year old kid based on my psychological-war comment.

You’re one special kind of stupid are you? Ah well, at least you’re special…kind of stupid.

tip: try give a constructive comment next time.

Bob Billings

here is a constructive tip, do women always laugh at you when they see your penis is the size of a five year old?

Bob Billings

go fuck yourself

jim

Really, stupid you say, well did you read what you typed, stupid?You sound like a moron.

davedsone

More likely it just pointed out that you really were stupid. Now you have to live with that knowledge, and it hurts. It’s easier just to blame Windows 8 though.

John ‘Genryu’

‘They have listened to customers on almost every product they have on the market with each update.’ Hmmm, Windows Bob ( you don’t even remember that), ME, Vista and Windows 8 prove you wrong. Unless they ditch metro, return to the desktop, stop making the UI look like it was designed by a not very intelligent child and bring back basic functionality that was lost in Windows 8, Windows and MS with it will move past the point of no return and be lost for ever.

Tig3RStyluS

I agree with some of what you say. I personally like the Modern UI on all my devices (phone, tablet and desktop – no other platform comes close) and prefer this to be the default, but i understand that some people do not. I think their best approach would not be to automatically detect and install legacy UI as default just because you have a desktop/notebook.. but instead to offer the choice during the Install process with some clear information about each so less tech savvy users can make an informed choice. I also think it should be simple to switch the default boot UI. For pre-built pc’s, it should also be a choice for the user when they turn the device on for the first time.

BrS

I really hope they give us the option because the last thing I want is that horrible, useless Start Menu to return to my desktop.

Tig3RStyluS

in the comments on this site, they are going to be burned whatever they do. Agree with most of what you say though.

Will

I agree, I liked win7 both because it was stable and gave my lenovo computer better performance (30-60 fps in Portal at minimum settings) than win8. i currently own a toshiba l855 with win8 and its more powerful than my old pc. I hated win8 on my old pc. Now, I like Win8. I now get 60-115 fps in Portal at max settings.

Scoox

Nope, the ribbon still sucks. It occupies too much space on my screen and gets truncated whenever the window is not maximized. That’s why 99% of applications still use a combination of menus and toolbars.

havor

I know opinions on that topic vary from person to person, myself i use LibreOffice and like it enough not to pay for Office, but i was under the impression that most users like the new ribbon UI, but i could be wrong.

Anyway i still think you got the point, sometimes you have to force users to change, if its for most for the better, even if is in human nature to resist change.

They make 30% of the sale price of Metro apps and they wanted to push the Metro screen and de-emphasize the normal Windows screen.

I guess that did not work out for them.

meddle0ne

IMPOSSIBLE!!! The blogosphere has spoken.

meddle0ne

IMPOSSIBLE!!! The blogosphere has spoken.

Purple-Stater

Seriously, no offense meant, but you’ve hit the proverbial nail on the head with “I’m not exactly a computer guru.” The bulk of customers for a Windows 8 upgrade are people who have been using some form of Windows for ages, and people that know what they’re doing with their computers, in general, hate it.

Windows 8, especially on a tablet, is perfectly fine for people who use their computers for only a few functions.

Hannah1189

Well, not everyone is a computer genius, Purple-Stater. I use Windows mainly for work; Word, Excel, PowerPoint, email, etc. I write for a living, so what would I need with some OS that offers superfluous features and out-of-this-world performance when I DONT NEED IT? For the regular, run-of-the-mill computer users out there who don’t use their system for gaming and programming, W8 is great. Personally, I think it offers basic programs at a level that is easy to comprehend for folks who aren’t computer whisperers.

Purple-Stater

Relax Hannah, I totally agree with you. I started my post the way I did, because I didn’t want you to react the way you did. Your point was my point, W8 is excellent for a lot of people, just not as many as MS wanted. Their mistake was trying to force the change.
For W8, or any version, to become a true success it needs to be accepted by the power users. If Microsoft had made metro the default interface for tablets, and the traditional desktop the default interface for PC use, they probably would have had very little resistance to it. Then giving users the ability to make either interface the default would have simply been a bonus option.
I’ve tried W8 on my desktops, and really hate it. But I am saving to buy a W8 tablet because I think it’s cool in that form. I’d love to get a new Surface, but will probably buy a non-MS tablet because I have no use for Office on the tablet, and having it there uses unnecessary space and I don’t want to pay for software that I’ll never use. (I also seriously loathe the ribbon.)

BrS

My problem with the complaining is that many of those self-proclaimed power users clearly weren’t in reality that savvy. What was different in Windows 8 was quick and easy to learn. Once learned Windows 8 is an improvement over Windows 7. Yet so many alleged power users struggled to figure Windows 8 out.

pitbullgirl1965

I’m not computer guru nor a n0ob and I still hate it.
Why so defensive?

stewpidyouare

people need to get defensive against people who hate something for nogoodreason.

then windows 8 should not bother you, for writing a windows xp machine should more than suffice and if you buy a new shiny one, just install your word processor and nothing changes

subassy

For the record we’re not “computer whisperers” in that we’re not whispering so much as cursing/yelling/hammering. It’s just out of ear shot of normal folks like you :-)

efw

Thats odd. If your intention is only the most basic activities, then Windows 95 will suit you perfectly fine. Unless, you think clicking on the Word icon on the desktop/start menu is challenging.

Tig3RStyluS

I think it offers something (quite a lot) for everybody. The whole issue could have been avoided if they gave the customer choice of default at installation or first boot, though i understand their need for traction of RT apps probably made the decision for them. I just hope they dont scrap the modern UI and go backwards, i find using both UI’s in Windows 8.1 is very convenient.

JWF

Perhaps you shouldn’t be using desktop versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint in that case, as all those programs contain superfluous features. There are much simpler versions of these programs designed to run on lighter devices. Yet these devices will not run the heavy stuff, for example like the Adobe software, that some users need.

People like you have a choice to use a different system, while more demanding users do not. Considering the number of organisations and business that rely on desktop power, and specialised desktop applications, and given the laternatives available to you, your argument that Windows should be designed for simpletons doesn’t stand. Go use an ipad or a mac.

pitbullgirl1965

The bulk of customers for a Windows 8 upgrade are people who have been using some form of Windows for ages, and people that know what they’re doing with their computers, in general, hate it.
Agree. For the longest time I thought I was too much of a no0b to figure Win 8 out, until I saw even IT workers hated it too.
I’m going to buy Win7, that’s how much I hate 8.

gremlin22

Where are you going to find Windows 7? Microsoft is hiding all the remaining copies in the deepest basement in Redmond. If it was possible to buy new computers with Windows 7 then Win8’s market share was below 5%.

Randolph Baez

I bought my copy of Windows7 at Walmart.com for $200. I bought the Non-OEM one so that I can upgrade my computer components at will without being denied by Microsoft.

Do you think Microsoft will give people with Win8 a break to upgrade to Win9? I remember buying my laptop with Vista right before Win7 came out. I was in college at the time and they sent me a free upgrade to Win7. Right now, an upgrade from Win7 to Win8 costs from $80 – $100, which is quite ridiculous considering the criticism it’s received.

I would pay to jump from Win7 to Win9 unless they exaggerate the prices.

The upgrade should be cheaper than the full version, but who knows on the pricing?

pj

I just received an email this morning from HP Home and Office with the subject line:Our latest Win 7 PCs are here!
Windows 7 is back! Up to $150* savings on our latest PCs.

Tig3RStyluS

Ive got 4 retail copies of Windows 7 Ultimate hidden away at home unused as i no longer like to use Windows 7. Unfortunately i still have to use Windows 7 at work though and everyday i’m instinctively hitting the windows key to bring up the start screen and pointing to the top/bottom right corners to bring up the charms. I now find Windows 7 awkward to use, generally slower and missing features i regularly use in Windows 8.1

All combined, i think we are a difficult bunch to please. I am very happy with 8.1 but hope with 9, Microsoft makes big strides to please the people who are not liking 8.1 without sacrificing the things i like and need in Windows 8.1.

John ‘Genryu’

‘everyday i’m instinctively hitting the windows key to bring up the start screen and pointing to the top/bottom right corners to bring up the charms.’ Stick to a phone and finger painting.

Tig3RStyluS

have to admit I do it all the time at work. We only migrated to 7 about 18months ago, but at home we are completely 8.1, WP8 and am fed up with using 7, it feels really old, dull, slow and dated by comparison.

John ‘Genryu’

If you compare it to a phone and that is about your level, then fine, you may well like it and find a real OS feels old. It’s the same sort of difference as that between reading texts written in text speak and reading a good novel.

BrS

Windows 8 is a real OS. Obviously some people do really struggle to learn how to use it. That says something about them, not any flaws in Windows 8.

Tig3RStyluS

I didn’t compare anything to a phone, I think that was in your mind. I expressed my frustration with using Windows 7 in comparison with Windows 8.1

Sorry I know real Windows fan boys hate loosing all the screens they have to click though, and really hate having a clean interface. Too bad for you.

BrS

Maybe you should say that to people who struggle to use Windows 8.

John ‘Genryu’

You can buy new computers with Windows 7, Dell and other companies aren’t exactly hiding that fact.

Nightgazer

Ebay.

Ray C

What is there to figure out? I’m an IT worked, and I was completely frustrated with Windows 8. That frustration lasted all of 30 minutes. Once I figured out how you shut down, restart, and log off; I was just fine. When 8.1 the pop-up list to the start button, it got even easier. I’m still trying to figure out what is supposed to be so complicated for the average user. If you don’t like Metro, stick to the desktop. Outside of their being no start menu, what is there so difficult to figure out about the desktop. It’s the same from Windows. Most noobs probably use desktop and task bar short cuts more than going to the start menu.

pitbullgirl1965

I finally disabled the Metro screen, deleted unwanted apps, and it made a big difference.

ReddShadoe

Actually, it’s much more efficient to create desktop shortcuts or taskbar shortcuts than to go through the Start Menu; why would you consider that a ‘noob’ thing?

BrS

I can’t imagine anyone, beginner or advanced still using the Start Menu the way it had to be used in Windows XP, unless they never figured out how to use Windows Vista/7 in the first place.

eastend27

no filmstrip view

stewpidyouare

well we have a bunch of IT workers/noob who hate it and another bunch of IT workers/noob who loves it. doesn’t make it a general hate among consumers.

Please do buy Win 7, like you’re planning to stuck in 2009. Every one is moving forward with their lives..and Windows 8 is the way to go. (until Windows 9 comes)

JWF

We often hear the argument that if it’s new it must be good and we must therefore embrace it. But bear in mind that a lot of new stuff is designed only to make its producers more money. Like the new formula for jeans. Traditional workers jeans would last for years, these days I wear my seat out in less than sex months cycling to work.

Saying we must embrace the new uncritically is not very smart.

stewpidyouare

True. That is why we have the ability/right to comment/give suggestions on the mistakes they did with Windows 8, and thus they improve it…

..but rejecting it totally just because of few mistakes is critically not smart either.

Nightgazer

I’m still using Win XP Pro myself, best OS Win!

BrS

That shows those IT workers aren’t the computer geniuses they probably think they are. In fact I’m going to ask opinions on Windows 8 when interviewing people. That’ll weed out those who struggle with learning and change.

efw

Really? Then you will absolutely love Windows 7.

Hannah1189

Just to clarify, I’ve used other Windows operating systems in the past; 95 was great…in the 90’s (not that I was doing much other than playing Carmen San Diego, since I was 6 years old at the time). W8 is definitely more aesthetically pleasing than the previous OS’s. Anyways, for the past 7 years I’ve been an Apple snob, with my mac and my iPhone, and I never even considered going back to Windows. However, W8 completely changed my mind. If Microsoft’s main problem with W8 was gaining “new” users, it overcame that problem where I am concerned. It gained a new, or rather won an old, user back.

Xplorer4x4

This is a very interesting turn..I would love to hear what about Win 8 brought you back to Windows?

Hannah1189

Probably the main thing that brought me back was friendly usability. Although many hate the way W8 is laid out, I personally love it. The start screen is lovely; you can pin your most used sites and apps right there on one colorful, easy to use page. I bought the Surface RT; my favorite thing about this is the fact that it’s a tablet and a PC all in one. When purchased, you have the standard Office preview; when you upgrade to W8.1, you get a full version of Office. It’s fantastic. The only downside is the lack of apps available in the Microsoft Store, but I have no doubt the people at Microsoft are working diligently to get more added to that list. Otherwise, the tablet is great. I also use W8 on my work PC; I enjoy it more on my tablet. It’s definitely a touchscreen-friendly OS. But they do make desktops with touch screens, so it works either way. I’ve had my tablet for a little over two weeks now, and I’m 100% satisfied. W8 is great.

Hannah1189

Probably the main thing that brought me back was friendly usability. Although many hate the way W8 is laid out, I personally love it. The start screen is lovely; you can pin your most used sites and apps right there on one colorful, easy to use page. I bought the Surface RT; my favorite thing about this is the fact that it’s a tablet and a PC all in one. When purchased, you have the standard Office preview; when you upgrade to W8.1, you get a full version of Office. It’s fantastic. The only downside is the lack of apps available in the Microsoft Store, but I have no doubt the people at Microsoft are working diligently to get more added to that list. Otherwise, the tablet is great. I also use W8 on my work PC; I enjoy it more on my tablet. It’s definitely a touchscreen-friendly OS. But they do make desktops with touch screens, so it works either way. I’ve had my tablet for a little over two weeks now, and I’m 100% satisfied. W8 is great.

Hannah1189

Oh! And another thing…I’m no stranger to iPads; my partner has one, and as far as tablets go, it’s not bad. But if you really want an all-in-one device, something you can use as a computer, a tablet, a toy and a work gadget, Microsoft Surface is the way to go.

John ‘Genryu’

Your a mac user, so in other words you want an unintuitive OS, for way over the price it should be on an underpowered system. No wonder you like Windows 8 so much.

I need to give a PC with windows 8 installed on to a new PC user. I can’t even figure out how to go ‘back’.

I can’t imagine training anyone on this. Terrible

charged99

I hate windows 8 because MS thought that since Tablets and Android phones & Iphones were so hot they wanted to make to make a hybrid between a laptop and tablet/iphone/android into 1 and if your under 25 your down with it and if your 25+ your like what the Fluck, especially people 40+ and those people 50+ have a heart attack. If your use to driving automatic you just don’t change it to stick

FatMan2539 .

I completely understand your point, but I’m 20 and, while I understood Win8 within 5 minutes, but it confused and annoyed me to begin with

Nightgazer

I’m 42, XP is best!^_

armchairnavigator

Windows 8 is *hit. Granted there is only one small fault, and that is the inability to revert the start screen back to a start menu, but because that is arguably the most important part of the operating system’s user interface, it turns the operating system into a pile of steaming poo.

lepusfelix

Ha. If that’s your only problem with Win8, then you’re not a computer user. Where I come from in computing, menu navigation (Start or otherwise) to get where you want is a relic from the past. For my favourite software, I just click the icon I want neatly tucked away off the left of my screen (always visible by default. I chose to tuck it away). For anything else, I hit one key and then type. Not only do I get matching software that I have, but also software I can buy, google results and shopping. If I want to see what’s open, there’s no pointing in the corner BS, I can see at a glance what’s open and how many windows each application has open. What’s more I have unrivalled flexibility and control over how I want it to look.

Also, everything on my computer is one-click updated. Not just OS-related and security updates. Everything I have. In one place.

I hate Windows 8’s design, and I wish they would pull their fingers out and give people more control of that. However, live tiles are a good idea, albeit poorly implemented, and Metro does take some steps towards greatness…. but again, poorly implemented. By trying to run too fast in the right direction, they fell face first.

windows 8 is not good i have it and it took out to many things that made computers cool. you cant personalise it, you cant play certain games on it because they dont work well with it it just sucks

micadukey

Yeah it’s great if you use a touch screen, but it is lousy if you don’t. Hopefully 9 will allow users to select the kind of interface they want.

Hannah1189

I just started using Windows 8 and I’m in agreement: I love it. It’s user-friendly, easy to navigate; not like other OS’s (ahem, all iOS). I actually just purchased a Surface, and am contemplating the Nokia Lumia 928 for my next phone upgrade. Windows 8 took me literally five minutes to figure out, which is saying something, since I’m not exactly a computer guru.

Jehn Smeth

Damn dude, what must you think now that they skipped Windows 9 and went straight to 10 instead ;)

max999

Let’s hope they fix the mess called Windows 8 but don’t count on it. This is Microsoft we’re talking about. I still see the words “Start Screen (Metro)”, cross platform, apps, WP, X-box, etc.

When I see Windows 9 Desktop Edition than we’ll see. Till than I’m planning on staying with Win7 for the foreseeable future.

jim moore

Frank, what is wrong with Windows 8? Did they take away your start menu? Windows 8 is really easy to use. Grade school children can even figure it out.

Suicunesol

I think that’s the problem. It’s made for grade school children and casual users (who love touchscreens), but that’s a completely different audience from the users who have been using windows with a traditional keyboard and mouse for a long time .

jim moore

Why can’t you use your mouse and keyboard? Are they broken? Windows 8 allows you too use your mouse and keyboard. That’s how I use it.I have a touch-screen but I don’t us it that much.Stop complaining and just learn how to work Windows 8. it’s not Fortran.

Michael Z.

Fortran is simple… Windows 8 is unnecessarily complicated. Let me tell you what some people don’t get or are too PC to say – there are lot of people in their 40s and 50s with 20-30 years of computer experience who are used to Windows interface, which actually won the war for MS over GEM and Framework, which worked perfectly well for over 25 years (and continues to work in OSX too).. I don’t want and don’t need to learn new keyboard shortcuts and touch-screen gestures.

Xplorer4x4

“I don’t want and don’t need to learn new keyboard shortcuts and touch-screen gestures.”
New? Yes there are added, but I don’t think they have changed any. It’s bound to happen sooner or latter in any OS. So much has remained the same though. CRTL+A/X/C/V still does Select All, Cut, Copy, and paste(respectively). Need to launch a program? Win Key+Typing in Win 8 Modern UI still does the same exact thing it did in the start menu under since Vista. You weren’t born knowing the original key shortcuts and had to learn them but yet a few new shortcuts is to much to learn? I use linux as my daily driver, and only boot in to Win 8/8.1 every few months or so and it took virtually no time at all to adapt to the Modern UI Start Screen.

Michael Z.

Please don’t be ridiculous – of course I know Ctrl-Letter shortcuts, About ‘bound to happen’? Why? Because they wanted us to move to tablets/touchscreens? I don’t need to. (At least as my first device) Win 7 was perfectly fine – why they needed to push this abomination on PC users? I understand that PC market is shrinking, but still, it’s pretty big…

Xplorer4x4

It wasn’t about knowing them, it was the fact that you had to learn them. It wont kill you to learn ADDITIONAL shortcuts. The existing shortcuts, at least afaik, still work just fine.

As far as bound to happen, it’s called evolution. I use a mouse and a keyboard and have no trouble navigating around. I use no gestures other then accessing the charm bar on the right side.

Why did we need win 8? Well why did we need Win 7, Vista was a solid OS post SP1. Why did we need Vista? XP will go down as one of the greatest OS releases ever.

I still haven’t heard a good reason you haven’t jumped. Don’t like Metro? So boot straight to the dekstop and install start8 or something.

Michael Z.

It’s very funny how people are telling to other people, they don’t know anything about, to do or not to do something… I have about 30 years experience with various computers, worked with most incarnations of DOS, OS/2, Windows, Linux, a bit of OSX on desktop comps and with Palm OS, Pocket Windows, iOS and Android on portable devices, but I never was so annoyed with OS like this time with Win 8 – probably since trying to make Vista to work on my wife’s (then gf’s) underpowered laptop (gave up and downgraded to XP). I wouldn’t dream to buy a comp with Win 8 (planned to buy business one with Win 7), but my old one died on me, and I can’t wait to buy an expensive one, so I bought one with Win 8, so I have to bear with this abomination.
As for evolution – it is wonderful thing, and I’m happy to type this on i7 powered comp and not on one, powered by Intel 8086 (or 80286).But one of features of evolution is that not every thing evolving survives, that why I am typing this not on computer running GEM 8 or Framework 8, or one powered by Motorola processor. Why OS evolved on Intel processors, you ask? Well, they followed hardware evolution (8-bit to 16, the to 32, then to 64…) and need to survive in war against Apple and other graphic environments (remember GEM, Framework, OS/2, etc?). And then we come to Win XP, which, I completely agree with you, was wonderful, but its 64-bit version sucked. So Vistabomination came in play, and even if after SP1 it was Ok, it was DEAD – bad stigma. So they rebranded reworked Vista as Windows 7. In my humble opinion, Win 7 would have held at least 5-7 years, but MS did stupid thing once again – instead of making specific OS for tablets they tried to put unsuccessful tiles interface (FAILED on phones) on Win 7… STUPID! So on your question – why we needed Win 8 – answer is – we didn’t. Win 7 with security updates would have worked perfectly well.

Cheers.

Sheldon Cooper

What’s a comp. What’s a gf’s.

Erikkko

I assume:

comp = computer
gf = girlfriend, thus gf’s = girlfriend’s

jim moore

Thanks, I thought Comp stood for Concerned Old Married Person and gf stood for Goats Foot and gf’s stood for Goats Feet.

Nightgazer

I use Win XP Pro 32-bit. Why? Because Win7 and above -will not- play my old games. Win XP -will-.

And…

I use the classic interface. The one that actually looks like the old classic interface. The old classic interface they didn’t put as an option in OS’s after XP, so I like XP.

I also use a crt monitor, so no touchscreen for me. Why? Because I have a genetic eye defect and can’t see an lcd-anything without seeing a big blurry mess.

In short, different people like different things. And that’s fine. To each their own, y’know. That is good. Everyone should always have a choice in what they use now. Everyone has the right to make their own choice. And others should respect that.

Xplorer4x4

“In short, different people like different things. And that’s fine. To
each their own, y’know. That is good. Everyone should always have a
choice in what they use now. Everyone has the right to make their own
choice. And others should respect that.”
I’m not arguing that with in reason.

RE Old Games: I play some pretty old ones myself. And if nothing else, thats why we have dosbox.

Classic UI: Why? If it is your eye, I can understand, otherwise the simplicity of icons over long text bars is a winner for me every day!

Touch screen: Irrelevant. Win 8 does not require a touch screen to be a great OS or use Metro. Spoken just like some one who hasn’t tried it imo.

GeorgeGordonByron

I use Windows 7 with classic (windows 2000) interface. With Classic Shell and Taskbar Tweaker you can make it also function exactly the same as Win2000 (the last truly “classic” interface). You would not recognize it as Win7 machine at all :)

Sheldon Cooper

You can still buy Windows 7 computers. No one says you have to buy Windows 8. Maybe even someday you will switch to a tablet but I don’t think it will run on Windows 7. Time to put your learning shoes on and live on the edge.

oldmanerd

i am i linux user too and it has come a long way from the old days when you used to spend most of the time in the terminal, it is moving FOWARD because it is reducing the time needed in the terminal and your telling me i should learn more keyboard shortcuts to use windows 8 to me thats going backwards, it is far more elegant to click and point than type on a keyboard.

dianab

Amen!

oldmanerd

gee jim sounds like you work for microsoft, why mention fortran?

oldmanerd

grade school children can figure it out? how many grade school children do you know? you would have to know an awful lot of grade school children to make such a sweeping comment. get real windows 8 is not user friendly, yes if you spend a lot of time any one will eventually learn how to use it BUT the point is if i have to spend so much time learning how to use windows 8 i could spend LESS time learning apple mac and LESS time learning ubuntu linux, yes i have tried them all, windows 8 is NOT user friendly.

Sheldon Cooper

OLD MAN you are wrong. WINDOWS 8 is simple and thousands, probably ten’s of thousands, if not more grade schoolers use Windows 8. You are just too old to learn I guess. Your crappy Apple OS has only survived because old people want to be one of the rich populace. You paid too much for your system.

oldmanerd

you have a problem with reading, i never said i own an apple system, i said i TRIED apple mac and i TRIED linux and i TRIED windows 8 and found that windows 8 was the most user unfriendly i also said that i didnt know where you get the figures for how many grade schoolers use windows and you still didnt tell me how you arrived at those figures, you must be a genie or something and for your information the school where my grandchildren attend use ipads. i take offence to your comment about being to old to learn, i was playing around with computers before you were born, actually i suspect you are a microsoft troll.

jim moore

OLD, OLD, OLD MAN. What is a Microsoft troll? Do your grandchildren go to one of those fancy private school. I sure hope so, I would hate to think public schools could afford the inflated price of one of your Apple machines. By the way, my grandchildren did a social studies report on what OS grade school children are using and they found out that most used Windows 8 because it was so easy to learn and affordable.

oldmanerd

my grandchildren go to a state run school and use ipads and the fact that you dont know what a microsoft troll is just tells everyone that your knowledge is limited to put it politely, like one of the other posters here you have not provided any facts or figures claiming most school children use windows, the fact is you nor i can say for certain what system children are using at school because we dont have the resources, you may not realize it but there are an awfull lot of schools out there and to make a sweeping comment that MOST children are using windows is absolutly stupid. and as for inflated prices, how do you know what prices the schools pay for their ipads? for all you know they ( the schools ) could be getting them at a discount. gee get your act together. dont reply with generalizations or sweeping comments.

jim moore

By not knowing what a Microsoft Troll is, means that my knowledge is limited? I still don’t know what being a Microsoft Troll is and what it has to do with computer knowledge. Is that Apple slang for someone who works for Microsoft. This is my last post because once someone calls me STUPID I lose all respect for that person. You don’t even know me. You can disagree with me all day long but once you resort to name calling the fun stops right there. Grow up and act your age.

oldmanerd

the fact is i was not calling you stupid, i was saying that it is stupid to think that ALL children are using windows computers, in my last post i replaced stupid with wrong, you need to man up, the post here is supposed to be how good or bad windows 8 is, i dont know why you refer to apple slang i am not an apple fan boy i just asked you how is it that you know exactly how many children are using windows, you havnt answered that, all i said that my grandchildren go to a state school and they have all been issued with ipads, the fact is that you or anyone else should refrain from comments like– ALL children use windows at school– my question is how on earth would you know that? simple question, can you give me a simple answer?

you have proved what i have said all along NOT ALL children use windows at school, according to your link nearly 10% use mac nearly 5% use linux, were off topic here as i said earlier i found that windows 8 is the least user friendly system compared to linux ubuntu and apple mac and if you care to troll the internet there are people out there that are computer gurus and they say the same thing and that is windows 8 is a flop to the point where a major gaming platform is moving away from windows to ( would you believe it ) LINUX.DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Sheldon Cooper

Here is what I said ” Windows 8 is simple to use and thousands, probably tends of thousands of grade school children use it. I’m not the one who said that ALL grade school children use Windows 8. You are the one that is changing what is said. You also can not admit when you are completely wrong. I hope your not married or have children because if you do i bet you treat them unfairly AS WELL AND NEVER LISTEN TO THEM. Get over it. Windows 8 is So simple grade schoolers can even Figure it out. That’s another thing I said. I should of said Windows 8 is bad because OLD MEN can’t figure it out.Your the Apple Troll.

oldmanerd

i cant understand why you keep aligning me with apple, second thing i am obviously married as i have mentioned that i have grandchildren whom were given ipads to use at school, yes there are probably many children using windows 8 at school just as there are many children using ipads or linux machines, you must remember what children are using at school is usually not of their choice but is the choice of the school which is probably tied to financial situation rather than the merits of the operating system, as i said before anyone can learn windows 8 but it takes a fair amount of learning, i found it took less time to adjust to apple mac and even less time to adjust to ubuntu linux, thats why i am saying windows 8 is NOT user friendly, GABE NEWELL ( spelling might be incorrect ) made a prediction that by 2017 microsoft will be irrelevent after he checked out windows 8 and yes i am OLD which means i have playing around computers since 1985, and i can honestly say that i find ubuntu linux the most user friendly operating system.i am not a linux troll i am just giving an honest opinion of my personal expierience, if you wish to reply you may but i cannot add anthing further.

Sheldon Cooper

Thank you for FINALLY admitting your wrong. That must have hurt to say it but your a better man(OLD Man) for it.

John ‘Genryu’

Windows 8 is simple if you want to be locked into doing only a part of what you can do with other OS’s sure. If you want anything else though it’s far from simple. Dumbing things down does not mean that that is either better or progress. As for age, I’ve taught children and young people computing and universally they cannot stand Windows 8 in comparison to Windows 7. That is apart from the slower ones, which is rather telling.

Sheldon Cooper

Use Windows 7 then if you can’t figure out Windows 8

John ‘Genryu’

I teach computing you moron.

Sheldon Cooper

Name calling from a teacher. Its no wonder the kids can’t learn anything. You should be ashamed of yourself. Do you hit them a well if they want to use Windows 8?

John ‘Genryu’

‘Grade school children can even figure it out.’ Yes because it looks and feels like the sort of mess that someone with a crayon and not too much ability would put together. A race to the bottom in any field, but especially computing, isn’t something to be proud of or to laud as a good thing.

Sheldon Cooper

A little behind the times aren’t you. Get with it man. Don’t use it if you don’t like it. Go buy an overpriced Apple machine or some crappy Chromebook.

John ‘Genryu’

And they are welcome to it. Adults on the other hand want a real OS.

Sheldon Cooper

Johnny. You are about three months late on this discussion. Can’t you get Extream Technology on your Chromebook or your Windows 7 device. Your not an Apple crunch are you. See the problem is you can’t learn anything that is different. Again Windows 8 is do easy a grade school child could use it. And they do. Millions of them

John ‘Genryu’

Nice try, but when it comes to not learning something different, I actually help test new technology, as well as reviewing it as a contributor for the BBC, so I know about it before you do most likely. And, by the way, usability testing in school children has found that they too don’t tend to like Windows 8 in comparison to 7. Even Microsoft can’t wait to ditch it and acknowledge internally that it has been a disaster.

Sheldon Cooper

Johnny, facts don’t lie. Millions of children use Windows 8 everyday. I’m not real sure about how kids learn in England nor do I care. But here in America kids use Windows 8. I guess they catch on here a lot quicker than across the pond.

John ‘Genryu’

I teach children computing too and no, they do not like Windows 8. If they use it, is only because they are using new systems that came with it. If you can prove that they actually like it go right ahead, but every single usability study has found Windows 8 to be absolutely awful. And it’s John, not Johnny. It seems that you’re not very good at comprehension either and I am in America you moron.

Seems like aesthetics is not something you care about! Windows 8 looks awful on a desktop computer. But for portable devices it’s OK I guess.

pelov lov

The pricing is the biggest question here. If it’s $20, I might consider it. But if Microsoft thinks it can charge their >$100 asking price and flood it with ads (like they did with Win8), they’re out of their minds.

Zach Smith

It worked for Windows 7, which is basically Vista with the bugs fixed.

eurorootz

I completely agree. People talk a mess of shit about Apple but their best OS Mountain Lion was only $19.99 in their app store. Knowing Microsoft and having dealt with them for years I wouldn’t hold my breath at this being any less than $100. Why do you think they are calling it Windows 9? They want to give off the impression that its a completely new OS when in reality its Windows 8 with the focus being on the desktop instead of Metro which is what it should have been from the start.

another_user

$100.00 isn’t too bad when you compare it to Apple charging at least $1,000.00 for OSX.

they had been trained to pay full price for service packs, of course they believe 20 is great

eurorootz

And how is that any different then Windows 7 to Windows 8? Aside from Metro which no one wanted does it really warrant the title of “new OS”?

efw

Their OS was only 19.99? Cool. How about the machine that runs it?

eurorootz

First and foremost I am a Windows user. With that said you sound like someone that knows nothing about a Mac aside from the price tag. Do some research.

ReddShadoe

How do you determine that he knows nothing about Macs? It’s fact; if you put a PC and a Mac side by side with the same processing power, the Mac will will cost much much more, simply because it’s a Mac. Same goes for tablets vs iPads, and smartphones vs iPhones. In fact, I am an iPhone user, and the Android phones have many more features that Apple doesn’t have. What is there to research?

Michael Z.

Ever heard of Hackintosh?

Chris Shakal

Given that I can get the Pro version free from my university makes this a non-issue for me :)

Dozerman

Maybe this is our first glimpse of the new Balmer-less microsoft. Fingers crossed.

I’m also hoping that this new Metro 2.0 is OpenGL compatible instead of the old locked down DirectX system that had been in place. All in all, my hopes are high. Just as Vista was moderately fixed by the first service pack and then evolved into the greatness that is Win7, 8 was moderately fixed by 8.1 *should evolve into a great Windows9.

Dozerman

Really, who downvoted that?

Dan

trolls, trolls everywhere

vladx

I did that because while OGL is pretty good it’s still not upto par with DirectX friendliness-wise…

Dozerman

I can respect that. I mentioned OpenGL because of the “muh freedums” argument rather than friendliness to devs, though, although I find OpenGL easier than DX. I guess it’s just a personal thing.

Dozerman

I can respect that. I mentioned OpenGL because of the “muh freedums” argument rather than friendliness to devs, though, although I find OpenGL easier than DX. I guess it’s just a personal thing.

could be anywhere between $100 to $500
of course this is just my own Guestimate and i may be way way off

efw

Does it really need one? Would love to see the under the hood changes from 8 brought to 7, but service packs usually fix bugs and rarely add new features.

Dawson Snache

as far as i am aware that they only ever planned on an SP1 and nothing more than that
although Phobos i do agree with you that their should have been more than 1 Service Pack

Gerry Allen

The only Windows 8 train wreck I see involves tech journalists and bloggers completely off-track. My business segment is leaving the out-of-date XP and 7 styles as quickly as applications are updated to 8.

tlwest

I’m curious, which business segment is that? I’m seeing the banks and insurance companies mostly switch to 7 in the last year with a healthy dose of XP still around. Not an 8 in sight,

I’m curious which mainstream business segments are embracing 8 already.

Gerry Allen

My companies are in the wine-making supplies and the grape and hops farming support businesses. We also run a small specialty trucking line and a systems development and support service for these industries.

Singh1699

So you have to be piss drunk to like Win 8 eh?

Gerry Allen

More trolls.

Matt Harris

So your developing line of business apps for Windows 8. That is hardly a whole market moving.
Windows 8 is not of any use to me personally. I don’t have a touch screen and Windows 8 is rubbish without one. It is a product with a user interface designed for touch. I want a product with a user interface designed for a mouse and keyboard.

Matt Harris

So your developing line of business apps for Windows 8. That is hardly a whole market moving.
Windows 8 is not of any use to me personally. I don’t have a touch screen and Windows 8 is rubbish without one. It is a product with a user interface designed for touch. I want a product with a user interface designed for a mouse and keyboard.

Purple-Stater

I think that is excellent, but really all you’re saying is that it’s perfectly fine for a niche market. Which is fine, as that is a perfect use for table computing.

efw

Right, and your wine making company is an indicator of global business practices.

Dont get high on your own supply, old chap.

ReddShadoe

So your companies use Windows 8, not your business segment.

Jim Dawkins

So you’re a niche market. You dont have cubes full of workers who are going to scream at your help desk by deploying windows 8. There is niche happy land and enterprise reality.

John ‘Genryu’

You mean you drive a truck to a liquor store once a week. No sensible business switches to Windows 8.

Ray C

What I’m curious about is who are these businesses that claim they would be incapable of running Windows 8. Everyone keeps saying “Windows 8 won’t work in business” But what business are you talking about. The majority of computers are used in some type of business, government, or education organization. If there are more than 2 computers, it’s most likely a business or organization. There are way more people using computers at large offices and corporations who basically use them the same way they do at home: Internet, e-mail, Office, and web applications, and 3 or 4 frequently used applications. Are you honestly going to tell me all these corporations across that have employees performing tasks that are not greatly complex, and that probably use the desktop and task bar just as much as they use the start menu, are going to have that hard a time being productive without a start menu?

Matt Harris

Ray, lets just think about this. It is supposed to make your staff more productive. That is why you can build a cost benefit argument for it. Say windows 8 causes the users to make more mouse clicks to do something than before, you are loosing money by purchasing this product that slows the process down. One minute of delay per person per day adds up in large corporate environments.to large numbers.

The metro stuff has no place in the environment you describe as App don’t actually get much in the way of work done, but I can not turn it off and staff are wasting time on it. Microsoft made a huge thing about the boot times for windows 7 booting in 15 seconds and then about windows 8 booting faster again. To those who care if it takes 15 seconds or 30 seconds or a minute going to be impressed then their staff are wasting time getting useless dross out of the way so they can actually do some work. Yep, they are just the ones who will not be buying the product for their workplace.

Most businesses want a platform to run a line of business application, one that is probably badly written and has some really weird requirements like Internet Explorer 9, and enable staff to “do their job”. Windows 8 or 8,1 does not appear to deliver on that promise. But as always YMMV

Xplorer4x4

“Say windows 8 causes the users to make more mouse clicks to do something
than before, you are loosing money by purchasing this product that
slows the process down.”
Examples please. I am to lazy to debunk this crap all over again and again.

tlwest

Realistically, it’s not incapable of running Windows 8, it’s that the payoff for moving to Windows 8 doesn’t match the expense of moving to a new OS (and in larger organizations, that’s millions or tens of millions, not including the loss in productivity as every worker has to adapt to the new OS).

The point is Windows 8 is, for the most part, a giant advertisement for Windows tablets. Yes, it gets people used to the tablet interface, and yes, it makes it more likely that they’ll be familiar enough with the interface that they’ll get a Windows tablet instead of a iPad, but that doesn’t make a good business case for the *customer* unless they’re a significant percentage are seriously likely to go touch-screen.

So, yes, Window 8 is survivable. But there’s an anger in many businesses (and a lot of desktop users) that Microsoft expects companies to spend millions of dollars and have workers be slightly less productive simply to satisfy Microsoft’s need to advertise to your employees.

Is the extent of the anger rational? Probably not. But while Microsoft’s previous misfires (UAC, etc.) have often been perceived as bad execution of ideas that were supposed to work for the customer, there was a strong perception that Windows 8 was a case where Microsoft deliberately chose to harm the customer’s interests in order to promote its own. And of course, the Press is happy to leap on that bandwagon of ill-feeling.

Michael Z.

Absolutely agree – and taking in account that it takes to big business from one to three years to perform upgrade cycle – no one in his right mind will switch from Win 7 (which essentially started to roll in in 2011-2012) to Win 8.

Tig3RStyluS

To be honest, i think banking and insurance moving from XP to 7 is due to the fact that the businesses that make up 80% of this segment have tens of thousands -> hundreds of thousands of seats. The timescales involved in rolling out new OS rolls into years.

Nightgazer

In my area, West Monroe/Monroe Louisiana, the hospitals here… Glenwood, St. Francis., Conway, LSU, and the LSU a couple hours away in Shreveport still all use XP Pro on their computers.

VirtualMark

But that style is coming back in Windows 9… are you going to change back again?

Gerry Allen

I suspect no one outside of Microsoft know what “style” Windows 9 will have.

VirtualMark

Read the article…

Gerry Allen

The article is guesses, innuendo and hilarious extrapolations. Go back and read the 18- month before release articles on Windows 8 to see how accurate they were.

VirtualMark

Sure, so why do you bother to read the articles here?

VirtualMark

Sure, so why do you bother to read the articles here?

Giorgio

its not worth to skip to win 8 now, wait to win 9 comes out. Just drink some wine and forget all about that disaster of windows 8

Semaphore

What’s off track is your assumption that what works for you must also work for everyone else. If you like Windows 8, that’s great.

Doesn’t change the fact that most businesses have opted for Windows 7 instead.

Ray C

Most businesses were going to Windows 7 anyway. Even Paul and Mary Joe would agree with most companies that are switching to Windows 7 were already in the process of moving to 7, were planning the move to 7, or are near the end of their transition to Windows 7 anyway. It’s simply a misrepresentation to claim businesses had no post-XP plans then all the sudden decided to go with 7 once 8 came out.

ReddShadoe

True; however, those business will likely skip 8 and go right to 9 when the time comes, like businesses skipped from xp to 7.

Tig3RStyluS

Yep, its normally one or sometimes two versions that are skipped.. depending on the number of seats.

Michael Z.

I don’t know what business segment you are, but big companies have about one-two years delay in upgrading,(it takes that long to update applications, find all the bugs etc.) and I don’t think anybody in their right mind in GE, Motorola Solutions, CISCO, etc. will move to Win 8 any time soon(if at all). And if you”ll check online shops for business laptops – 90% of them (if not more) come with Win 7 or downgrade option – that’s telling…

VirtualMark

So instead of releasing a free update to Windows 8, they’re going to charge us for the fixed version…. wow.

Xplorer4x4

You act like this is new..Win 98(critically acclaimed, at least by SE)->Win 2000(fail)->Win XP(acclaimed)->Vista(technically a fail but Vista post SP1 was actually pretty stable)->Win7(acclaimed)->Win8/8.1(fail acclaim but I like it..)

Matt Harris

Did you use win 2000? It was a excellent rock solid operating system. A worthy successor to Windows NT. Now Windows Millennium, the 16 bit successor to windows 98 was just unstable rubbish. It was also the end of the line for the old 16bit code with XP being based on Windows 2000.

Xplorer4x4

Perhaps I got NT and 2000 mixed up. I knew something didn’t seem right at the time but didn’t have time to double check the release pattern for Windows. Either way the pattern I mentioned still stands as best as I recall and that was my main point.

Xplorer4x4

Perhaps you can refresh my memory but the trend goes further back as well doesn’t it? Win3(fail)->Win3.1(acclaimed).I started using a PC during Win 3.1 days but skipped over 2000, NT an ME.

Matt Harris

windows 3.0 is really were the story starts. Windows one was nothing really and two was an improvement but not much. Up until that time there was no place for icons that you used. You navigated the file system using what these days is called windows explorer (but clunky) and double clicked on program files. Windows 3.0 brought the program manager, it sat in front of the desktop and did nothing but display wallpaper that you saw on the rare occasion program manager was minimised. Windows 3.0 also ran on a 286PC with a basic 1mb of ram (the same as dos). Windows 3.1 was an improvement, a little snappier, less crashes and it was the same but different. Windows 3.11 for workgroups was the first with basic networking capabilities, and was streets ahead of windows 3.1 The biggest .01update in the history of computing. Stable, looked good loads of new features and all on a 1.44Mb floppy disk.

Windows 95 was the merger of DOS and Windows. It had in those days high hardware requirements, was a complete shift in many ways from the past (start menu, built in dialer, web browser etc) SO disastrous releases were not a feature until Windows 98, fixed with Windows98SE

efw

I keep hearing this from everyone, but was ME really that bad? I used it for about a year, and never had any issues.

Matt Harris

Lots of people used Vista without issues as well. ME had issues and standing beside Win2000 looked perhaps worse than it was because Win2000 was so good. I had to miss the the very brief outing ME had as my Microsoft development environment simply did not run on it.

oldmanerd

yeah i agree, what i think the problem was is that ME was very fussy which hardware it was running on, i must have had the exact hardware for it because it ran perfectly for 3 years, whilst all my friends whose hardware was slightly different were cursing and swearing about their problems with ME.

XP was essentially 2000 with a Fisher Price UI bolted on. There were even fewer differences under the hood between those two than between Vista and Windows 7.

gremlin22

The Fisher Price UI was the (useless) candy part of XP.
The real killer feature of XP that was missing from 2000 was the ACTIVATION.
Since Win2000 was so good and so easy to pirate, Microsoft did all they could to eliminate it before it gained momentum. They also starved it from crucial patches (like improvements to the USB stack) that could have been easily deployed.

Michael Z.

DOS 1 was Ok, DOS 2 was disaster, DOS 3.3 was great, DOS 4 very bad, DOS 5 good, DOS 6 not very good, not very bad, but then WIn 3.0 and then 3.1 came in…

Tig3RStyluS

Thats the pattern, but i wouldnt say Win2K was a fail.. was pretty rock solid. XP was an odd cycle as it was a merging of client OS (also widely used by consumers) with a workstation OS from NT->2K (used in enterprise).XP itself was a bit of a fail in terms of performance at the start, but became excellent.

me987654

Windows 2000 was a great OS. It was far, far superior to 98. Windows 2000 and XP are basically the same thing… XP is just 2000 with a new added features and patches

Xplorer4x4

You act like this is new..Win 98(critically acclaimed, at least by SE)->Win 2000(fail)->Win XP(acclaimed)->Vista(technically a fail but Vista post SP1 was actually pretty stable)->Win7(acclaimed)->Win8/8.1(fail acclaim but I like it..)

Ray C

So, they’re never supposed to make a new OS? They’re supposed to keep making every future change to the OS just a free update?

VirtualMark

Really Ray, is that what you think I meant? Wow. Read the comment again, this time take your head out of your arse.

Win 2000 was better even than XP you peasant, Vista was good but too ahead of it’s time and Win 8 is also very good if you’d only start using your brain a little…

massau

i had a windows 2000 (or ME) pc and it crashed a lot, but than again it was the time before we had internet to update.
also vista was too bulky it used a lot of ram and other resources. windows 8 is better than 7 preformance wise but it plain sucks for laptop/ desktop mouse keyboard interface, its good for tabled and mobile, tuchscreen interface.

vladx

FYI Win 2000 is not the same thing as Me, they’re quite different…

massau

sorry i was rather young in that time so i cannot fully remeber. sorry for that.

vladx

FYI Win 2000 is not the same thing as Me, they’re quite different…

Heriberto Gomez

win 2000 and win ME are diferrent OS win 2000 its for workstation/servers and the other its a combination of win 98 and pre-xp

i think your a bit harsh, fact is millenium was releasd after windows 2000 because windows 2000 was actualy released in 1999 and windows ME WAS released in year 2000 easy to get mixed up here, cut the kid a bit of slack, no ones perfect.

DeWayne Durrett

It has nothing to do with using your brain. 8 is a bad product.

vladx

Win 2000 was better even than XP you peasant, Vista was good but too ahead of it’s time and Win 8 is also very good if you’d only start using your brain a little…

Heath Parsons

For the most part, this is true. Aside from 2000/ME being different, they both (ME being worse) had a difficult time. I was never a fan of XP or Vista either. That’s the trouble with getting millions of devices to work right. It came down to driver issues and resources usage. Windows 7 did well by adding automatic searching of Windows Update online to search for drivers, while at the same time, made drivers work right (sorry, Vista tried but failed). 7 is much more stable, but still not perfect.

Windows 7 also came about from the troubles in XP such as programming. The .NET architecture is truly amazing.

You want a run for your money (because it’s free), try on debian linux or some other distribution. Install only the crap you need from packages on repositories (none of this ask toolbar or other sh**). Good depends on what you call a “good” operating system, good for me means no crashes during normal activity, easy to update, and plenty of useful software. About all Windows 8 is good for is powershell 3 and that is only useful where I’m at for Exchange server, and that’s to automate things, oh, and tablets, and I still prefer Android on tablets. Otherwise I’m on Debian (wheezy), and Windows 7.

thx for explaining. i never had a 16bit pc. i think the first one was an intel pentium3. than i had an athlon64x2.

massau

thx for explaining. i never had a 16bit pc. i think the first one was an intel pentium3. than i had an athlon64x2.

ReddShadoe

Win 95 bad? How so?

Jay

Considering Windows 7 came out of the lessons learned from Vista, I am hoping they can pull off the same thing with Windows 9. I understand many of the issues with Windows 8, but there are quite a few things I like as well.

I have seen much faster starts and better performance/stability on computers I have upgraded to Windows 8 from Win 7, Vista and XP. I also have my own convertible netbook and switch between using the touch screen and keyboard so I appreciate touch aspects of metro, but use Stat Menu 8 in desktop/keyboard mode.

If they can work out the start menu and desktop issues, I think it could go a long way to putting the bad image to rest..

Jay

Considering Windows 7 came out of the lessons learned from Vista, I am hoping they can pull off the same thing with Windows 9. I understand many of the issues with Windows 8, but there are quite a few things I like as well.

I have seen much faster starts and better performance/stability on computers I have upgraded to Windows 8 from Win 7, Vista and XP. I also have my own convertible netbook and switch between using the touch screen and keyboard so I appreciate touch aspects of metro, but use Stat Menu 8 in desktop/keyboard mode.

If they can work out the start menu and desktop issues, I think it could go a long way to putting the bad image to rest..

Scott Jackson

The question is why do we need to wait a whole another year+ and for a new version of windows for MS to fix these things? If 3rd party apps can do it, MS could release a service pack no problem and have Win 8 running the way we want, they just refuse to do so, so we can buy another OS from them next year.

Scott Jackson

The question is why do we need to wait a whole another year+ and for a new version of windows for MS to fix these things? If 3rd party apps can do it, MS could release a service pack no problem and have Win 8 running the way we want, they just refuse to do so, so we can buy another OS from them next year.

Heath Parsons

Because Vista.

John Gregory

Sebastian: Heads up. You mean reign, not rein.

John Gregory

Sebastian: Heads up. You mean reign, not rein.

Wag Jaw

Did they call it Threshold because they anticipated that it will be walked all over ?!

ReddShadoe

That doesn’t even make sense…

david

what is operating system? … i think microsoft need to ask that question first.

Mo Friedrich

So, what is it?

ephemeris

Hopefully they realize,that there is plenty of cpu power,and mucho
graphics muscle available. As well there is ‘sufficient’ bandwidth, and
so as I read one poster put it ‘the consumer computer’,should be a
choice of its user.

The latest kaveri cpus I read,that some of its implementations,will be able to perform on Windows 8 . That is great however,from my look at Windows 8 it is as attractive as reading a newspaper. And as well it is configurable much the same.

Even though there will be interactivity that is consistent with many different environments with different devices. Hopefully some of the greater functionalities utilizing gpu,and cpu power will not be limited by a rigid operating system design.

For example I might enjoy a fully functional VRML desktop. While this might not function on a device such as a touch screen tablet ,or would not be desirable in an
office setting,the power is there to use it . If the supporting functions are available. Mean if you want your operating system to look like a newspaper,you are welcome to it.

But when simulation is what its about,any simulation /schema available can be utilized,if configurable features are available. Customizable backgrounds,Icons,Windows themes etc. Adding depth to the 2D world would be a great addition. Not to mention better first person communications.

Windows 8 really is doing an active desktop thing. I’m really not all that whooed by Internet fly-ware.

Why limit the power of the computing w/o using it for computing. I would be happy to see the Shockwave Player (Adobe),go borge into the desktop (Is it ‘parallels desktop’ – the company that make the themes ) . Then again I could probably live w/o it.

Mo Friedrich

Why would you want your OS consume more resources than the absolute least necessary? I prefer them to be available for my applications…

ephemeris

The amount of ram,cpu,interface usage dealing with GPU/apu etc. . Elements that are not ‘static’,as to be configurable-. RAM,CPU,GPU/APU,and Storage,this exponential to what was utilized as close back as 5 years. There is a lot of ‘feature set’ that could not be utilized at that time,. That is available now.
Looking at the bench tests for different components GPUs , CPUs, Memory, Storage . You can respect the fact that there is a capacity to simulate,store,program, and communicate. In multiples,rather than divisors.
HP showed a ‘all-in-one’computer at CES . But used an i3,explaining utilizing Cad program(s) with this. This is a minimalist configuration. The same resources would be utilized with an i7 for example. (voltage,ram,video).
I guess I dont understand your meaning of I’m consuming. Win8 is minimalist. When there is this level of computing power.

Naipier

But but but… windows 8 is the awesome!!!1!11one! I know cuz all da fan boyz tells me so.
In all seriousness, I cant wait till its just a distant memory.

Mark

I don’t know where else to put this. Can we please get a way to go to the desktop site from mobile. The mobile site is worse than Windows 8 metro.

John Platts

The Start Menu needs to be brought back to Windows 9, but not in exactly the same form as WIndows 7 because it needs to be usable on tablets, laptops, and desktops.

Here is how the Start Menu should look like in Windows 9:
– Taskbar is still visible when Start Menu is displayed and is not covered up by the Start Menu
– Start Menu text is in a larger font than in Windows 7 and earlier versions by default
– Log Off and Turn Off Computer options clearly visible in bottom right hand corner
– All Programs is a large tile on the left hand side of the Start Menu
– All Programs brings up a view similar to the Windows 8 Apps screen with a scrollbar and an additional button to navigate back to the Start menu
– All Programs view does not cover up the Taskbar
– Internet, E-mail, and other program tiles on left-hand side of the Start Menu
– Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, Downloads, Computer, Network, Recent Items, and Control Panel tiles on right-hand side of the Start Menu
– Search text box on the bottom left hand corner of the Start Menu

My version of what the Windows 9 Start Menu should look like takes the best of the Windows XP Start Menu, the Windows 7 Start Menu, and the Windows 8 Start Screen and is designed to be easy-to-use on desktops, laptops, and tablets.

ephemeris

Should put file associations within the add/remove programs. Along with the security features for different users there. As well as update program settings in the same dialog. And ‘firewall,or ‘network access’,as a switch there.

[haven’t seen the Win8,Win7 interfaces but are fairly sure,this has not been implemented. As the idea of an app. auto loading its extensions are a serious nuisance. ]

Need multitaskable windows for sure.

Semaphore

Here’s a thought.

Bring back the old start menu for desktops, and give tablets a DIFFERENT interface in the form of the Metro screen?

I know, I know, it’s an extreme concept – tailoring the interface to drastically different devices (which are used in different manners). Who could’ve possibly thought, right? Apart from everyone, that is.

Seriously, I sincerely believe it is the right direction moving forward, and here’s hoping Microsoft will lead us boldly into the future of 2007!

Ryan Kosior

No, the old start menu is a relic from the 90s. The minimal customization options of it demands something newer. After getting used to the start screen, it made maneuvering through the UI faster and smoother, assuming you made the effort to do all the customizations necessary. But therein lies the problem with it. To customize it, it took a while, and could be pretty tedious. Not to mention opening up seperate apps instead of opening it on the desktop (good for tablets, bad for PCs. An option to switch between this function, perhaps different for each app, would be an acceptable compromise.) What we need is something new, something that has the best of both world. A merging of the two would be nice, but I believe a completely fresh idea would be better.

Semaphore

No, that’s absurd. If the start menu lacked customisation options, then it demands one thing only: MORE customisation options. If it ain’t broke, DON’T scrap it entirely in order to “fix” it. Hey, did you know that the whole keyboard thing is a relic from the 30s?

Sure, the start screen could be customised to be a poor subtitute for the start menu. But it remains a retarded UI for use in any productivity environment. I do NOT need my whole screen blocked out by useless tiles just to launch a program.

And don’t kid yourself. All that the start screen is, is a less convenient, less customisable start menu in full screen mode.

Mo Friedrich

Please tell my why it is less convenient? As a power user, you never click your choice, you use your keyboard, which works even better on Windows 8 as the results can be sorted.
What really improves my workflow is the ability to size and position items according to my usage, as I don’t have to search or scroll the whole menu, I won’t accidentially open the wrong program if I click 2pixel next to the right one….
And I also find it WAY more aesthetic. I hardly use metro apps, but the weather widget for example is really more useful than the desktop widgets from Vista.
I love the fact that Microsoft tries out something new and reinvents how computers are used. Of course there is potential for improvement, but it is definitely a step in the right direction.
As of you, there are always the naysayers who would still use XP if they could.

Semaphore

As a poweruser I either know the exact name of what I want and thus sorting is irrelevant (I’ll take your word for it that it exists/is new), or I don’t know and thus I navigate my extended start menu for one of many rarely used but nonetheless valuable utilities.

At least I did until Windows 8 made it so that the directly opening my Program Files folder is more convenient.

Look, you like seeing pretty things on your UI, I get it. But this is not reinventing how computers are used. This is forcing everyone to use computers your unproductive, senseless, poorly designed way – or the open source high way.

Call us naysayers if you want, you’re only building up Microsoft infamy as the perenially out-of-touch company trying to force piss-poor design motivated by brute force marketing down the throats of consumers.

Ryan Kosior

Your argument is flawed. First you say that it needs more customization options, then at the end you call it more customizable than the start screen. That makes no sense. Not only that, but you missed my point completely. I’m not the biggest fan of the start screen myself, but I see the need to for changing the start menu because its not as user friendly as it could be. Also, comparing the start menu to a keyboard is absurd. One is software that can be modified in any number of ways to be more productive, while the other is a piece of hardware that serves a single purpose: typing.
We need something that suits both the power user as well as the light user. Only a narrow minded fool refuses to see that there’s users that have different needs than them. A lot of light users are switching to macs. Obviously not because of productivity, but because its user friendly and looks pretty. Windows is losing ground in that area, and Microsoft needs to make changes to take some of it back, while still supporting the power user.

Ryan Kosior

Your contradicting opening and closing statements aside, your view on this is completely narrow-minded. You say that the start screen isn’t user friendly as far as productivity is concerned, and I couldn’t agree more. But you fail to see that there are people with needs and/or want that differ from yours. Technology is an ever growing thing, and going back to the start menu the way it used to be would be a step backwards. Do you honestly believe that the start menu is the ultimate interface that embodies perfection in all areas? I still personally prefer the start menu over the start screen, but I realize that there has to be a way to improve user experience beyond that.

Also, comparing a small piece of a UI to a basic piece of hardware that a computer is completely useless without is ridiculous. Might as well compare it to a motherboard.

Xtreme Derp

WOW WHAT A SURPRISE THE EVIL MICROSOFT FANBOY SHILL IS A DELUSIONAL RETARD WHO THINKS THE START SCREEN IS THE BEST THING EVER

GOOD THING MICROSOFT IS BRINGING IT BACK

Funny how microsoft fanboys are so blind and boneheaded they’ll defend ms’s bad business decisions even when it loses ms money. Like the Windows 8 Metro disaster, or Xbox 24 hour DRM check-ins. It’s like they secretly want ms to fail. Funny how ms keeps doing 180s on their most obstinate, blind fanboys.

MS has 180-ed almost all of their initial Xbox reveal policies and will continue to do so even as their blind fanboys defend each one of them.

Xtreme Derp

DUMB AS ROCKS EVIL MICROSOFT FANBOY SHILL

Ryan Kosior

No, the old start menu is a relic from the 90s. The minimal customization options of it demands something newer. After getting used to the start screen, it made maneuvering through the UI faster and smoother, assuming you made the effort to do all the customizations necessary. But therein lies the problem with it. To customize it, it took a while, and could be pretty tedious. Not to mention opening up seperate apps instead of opening it on the desktop (good for tablets, bad for PCs. An option to switch between this function, perhaps different for each app, would be an acceptable compromise.) What we need is something new, something that has the best of both world. A merging of the two would be nice, but I believe a completely fresh idea would be better.

Tony, from River City Miami

here’s another:

just type what ever you were looking for in start menu of switch the start screen to all apps. right back to the 90’s

Michael Z.

You mean it should look like KDE…

meddle0ne

Project Spark, Project Sienna, W8 is where it’s at.

meddle0ne

Project Spark, Project Sienna, W8 is where it’s at.

DefinitelyAbsolute

Windows 8 is not a train wreck, I don’t for the life in me get why people in tech bash Windows 8, everyone I know who owns a W8 device loves it, Samsung is now looking like Windows 8 and everyone will shout and scream for joy with Samsungs tablets, yet they hate on MS, such biasness.

Semaphore

Because everyone in tech has to actually work on their desktops, a task for which Windows 8 is unquestionably 3 steps backwards from Windows 7.

Your comment on how “Samsung is now looking like” reveals the shallow superficialness by which you judge an operating system. Windows 8 caters to that, and if you liked it, fair enough.

But that does not mean everyone else needs to like it for being a fancy, pretty and non-functional hinderance to productivity.

DeWayne Durrett

It is worse than a train wreck. It is a plane crashing into a train. They were advised early on it was not a good idea. They then said darn the torpedoes and crashed anyways.

Themoose

i have it on my work laptop and i hate it, lucky i only use that laptop for out on customer site troubleshooting so it doesnt get used that much. My desktop is still running W7 and this is where the work gets done.

me987654

Windows 8 devices are fine… generally people who don’t like it have non-touchscreen laptops or desktops

Vista was terrible. Fact. Windows 8 a train wreck? Bullshit. Just too many narrowminded simpletons jumping on the hate train because of a couple of MINOR changes (start 8 is just a full screen start menu). The only legit argument against win 8 is the full screen apps (which you don’t actually have to use anyway). Which is hardly that much of a criticism anyway.

Win 8 is a good, EASY TO USE, fast and very stable operating system.

It is absurd how people obsess over the newest OS update for their phone, yet crouch in the corner, head in hands, quivering with despair when windows gets a few changes. As far as I’m concerned, most of the internet needs to gtfo. fyi, gingerbread was best Android OS, subsequent releases ate shite (OPINION).

Eagle2758

Hey little boy, sorry the old heroes at the VA are “simpletons” to you. I bet any of them can still kick your arse, though.

Timmehhh

Ha, the internet does indeed play host a variety of morons. Little boy? Lol. Old veterans? Wtf are you talking about. If they can’t cope with Win8 than there ARE simpletons. Not that I expect anything different from old people. I don’t have any problem with that at all. What I was talking about is the people that call something new shit, just because they are too slow in the head to learn it. If old people are calling new tech shit bc they can’t learn it, then they too can gtfo. Not saying they have to deal with it, they just have to shut up about it and stop dissing it. And what did I miss? Why even mention veterans? Did they make an anti windows 8 website/campaign? Good grief you are retarded. I also love how your post descends into who would win in a fight. What are you 10 years old? Does your mummy know you’re on the internet?

Jim Dawkins

Its got improvements over windows 7 but the hybrid merging of the touch metro UI and desktop is jarring to say the least. That aspect of the OS is still a mess. Going into IE from metro has a different UI than the desktop. They need to fix this crap and add a system setting that puts the OS in desktop only mode or metro mode. Not a blend of the two.

Secondly why in the hell would you put aspects of a touch UI on a server product. Its annoying. server 2012 + doesn’t need metro. What numb-nut thought that was a good idea? Someone who doesn’t manage servers.

me987654

The server 2012 thing is one of the worst offenses MS committed. I was shocked when I saw that for the first time

DeWayne Durrett

You are full of it. It has issues and is not the greatest thing since sliced bread.

me987654

LOL Gingerbread? You have gone full on moron. ICS was 1000x better than gingerbread and Android has only gotten better since

Allan

What MS needs is a way to maintain the minimalist UI of Windows 8 while giving the option of using a Tablet/Desktop mode. After those mutant objects supposedly called “enterprise tablets” running Windows 7, I can see why MS created Windows 8 with tablets in mind.

The big problem with W8 right now is that there’s too much desktop mode on 10.1″ tablets and too much tablet mode on 24″ desktops. While everyone wants the functionality of Windows, not everyone wants to squint at tiny text and icons on the desktop when working on a RT or Surface tablet. Likewise, full-screen apps for things such as Outlook is plain ridiculous on a typical desktop monitor, and there’s bound to be unanimous agreement here. If there was a convenient way to switch (because there are bound to be whiners who point out that restricting desktops to desktop mode and tablets to tablet mode is not for them), it would make everyone’s day.

I’m running a Win 8 theme on Win 7 and it themes virtually everything. I’m a huge fan of the colors of Windows 8; as long as they keep that abomination called Metro start screen away from me, my sanity (and that of many other consumers) will survive. Windows 8 does everything in Win 7 and more, faster than ever; that is, discounting that horrific start screen and full screen apps (Hello, MS? I did not pay for a 24″ tablet.).

Windows 2000 was laggy because of its hardware. Windows XP was legendary. Windows Vista was a gong show. Windows 7 was took a large step forward, but Windows 8 took one backwards. Let’s hope this supposed Windows 9 will bring salvation to office workers, PC builders, hardcore gamers and common users alike.

me987654

2000 was not laggy… XP and 2000 are almost identical OSes. (XP just had the idiotic fisher price UI bolted on which is the first thing most people changed after install)

eurorootz

I guess bleeding money by the truckload does push companies to listen to their customers change.

kzin53

except I don’t think MSFT is bleeding money by the truckload. At lest not right now.

When I heard Windows 9 doesn’t come out for another year and a half… Woops. Time to switch to Mac.

Dan Barkley

Windows won’t become obscure because it’s the best way to run everything you need. Just tried Linux (Ubuntu) and 50% of the programmes I need don’t work as its fundamental flaw is installing command lines via the Terminal which are often outdated when Internet searching. This is why we adopted Windows in the first place and why Ubuntu now has the software centre in the vain hope that people don’t realise the fundamental Linux problem.

As an aside, Ubuntu loads and shuts down way faster than the supposedly fast Windows 8.

me987654

Um, that is a bunch of rambling nonsense. Installing software on most linux distributions is WAY easier than on windows

Cam Gordon

BTW you have a typo

“Hopefully the successor to Windows 8 will be as good as good as Vista’s successor.”

honestly people I love windows 8.1 windows 8 was pretty bad, but 8.1 fixes all that. I use modernmix so I can already run metro apps on desktop. Set boot to desktop, put your metro shortcuts where you wish and bang, no more metro. I can see MS presenting an OS that is already the way I am running my win 8.1. Good for people who arent tech savvy, but its all the same for me

Aaron Stewart

I really don’t understand what everyones gripe with windows 8 is. Since 8.1 there has been nothing to complain about aside from metro which is just stupid people hooked on the old design. I agree Windows 8 was shit but 8.1 is gorgeous and I would never downgrade to windows 7 because of it. I just want to know why everyone hates on it. You don’t even have to use the store apps. I just use it for the desktop. The home screen is gorgeous, and I’m only on it for a few seconds. The key shortcuts are amazing, as well as the search. Please tell me why you hate on it

MadisonHJ

Put your money where your mouth is. Are you willing to spend your own money to retrain 1000+ employees on a new O/S when the old one (Windows 7 or XP) works just fine?

me987654

So those of us who don’t like Metro are stupid? Metro is a significantly worse environment for a desktop/laptop user… I don’t think that can really be argued.

Leo Quattro

Metro is a lot better than Desktop for someone with a mouse and keyboard. The page is infinite, you just scroll it with your mouse wheel, your tiles (which are just improved icons) never get scattered or out of lines and they are already ordered by group and you just need ONE click to open your apps or desktop software.

The Desktop is an outdated messy thing that usually got cluttered with too many icons on a finite space, icons that gets scarred, can’t be ordered intelligently. And Metro has live tiles for mails, youtube, facebook and all social stuff. People used widget to make this possible on a desktop and it just made the desktop even messier and slower.

And don’t start me on that useless stuff that was the START menu, a time consuming experience navigating through it without getting out of it and closing the folders you just had opened and good luck remembering were your stuff was.

If people weren’t just biased and afraid of change they would realize that Metro is 100X better than Desktop on a mouse/keyboard pc and that Metro should have been the new desktop by default because it’s 100x times easier pinning favorite software and app to the screen and keeping them listen, ordered and accessible, navigating though them and starting them. My hope is that they will get rid of that jurassic ugly desktop once and for all with the new windows

Mauryan

Steve Ballmer’s image gives a very negative feeling. He has become the negative face of Microsoft. I thought he quit by the end of 2013. So long as his head shows up on every Microsoft advertisement, it won’t matter what they do with their operating system. The first thing Microsoft has to do is to replace him as quickly as possible and remove his image from their system. That must be the first thing to do with Windows 9. Even the word, “Windows” has become negative. Change the name of the OS. Kentucky Fried Chicken started out afresh as KFC for a reason. Microsoft has to change its image first.

James Tolson

i hope they put back in wot they took out of windows xp, and give users the option to ditch the bloat they added into windows 8.. if they do i may finally move from windows xp to windows 9, but i doubt they will lol

Nightgazer

I hear you brother, I hear you!

Irma

That should be ignominious return, when referring to the Start Menu. Hope they are not going to revert to that outdated thing.

Pal Whatapal

I can hardly wait. I have been waiting for this update for a long time now. Tomorrow I plan to install Linux on all my systems at home and all my business machines. Thanks Micro$oft we love it.

Either you have never tried the OS or you spent very little time on it “away from your crapple” then instantly passed your snob-ass judgment!
MS was NEVER off track. Vista was a move to meet the era of intense GUIs. They rebuilt Explorer and we got 7. Now, built on the same success, a future Windows OS meeting the multi device needs. I would call that a major success!
I have not had to sacrifice anything being a system engineer, web development and graphics art primary user among many other areas. You all should get a damn clue and actually try it!

Nightgazer

I’m a gamer.

I ask three questions everytime a new OS comes up nowadays.

1. Will this run my games?

2. Is this backwards compatible with my ooold games too?

3. Will this cause Steam to crash, or will it work well with Steam?

I am still using Win XP Pro 32-bit.

Take that as you will, but no other OS can answer yes to all questions… especially to question 2.

w8/8.1 is a great all around system. the desktop is better than ever
with improvents galore. the modern ui could stand some polish.
w8/8.1 is still predominately a desktop os.

I have used it since w8 preview and have it installed on all 5 of my
computers. one of those is an hp elitepad 900. i see most of the
“flaws” with win 8 on elitepad. the virtual keyboard does not trigger
on “all’ text boxes… a pain that can be fixed. a major PIA is trying
to use the touch to control desktop applications. the touch/trigger
zones for buttons can’t easily be hit. also the control panel vs the
“lite” settings is a pain for power users but for every day “i bought my
computer for facebook” people it’s more that enough.

I think people are just mad about the start button/menu change.
again power users never really use the start “menu”, the facebook class
does/did depend on the menu. the start “button” was used by power
folks to get to run/search but, they also use win+r and other
shortcuts. the facebook class had to have it. so i think most of the
complaints are coming from novice users. i think that MS should have
let 7 on the table for old fogies and non-power users.

it feels like ms tried make w8/8.1 too many things to too many
people. a good and a bad thing. it’s not the ultimate system. its
great on desktops (really shines with multiple monitors) and laptops.
on tablets and smaller devices it’s kind of painful because of input
integration.

I love it on my elitepad because of what the elitepad is…. google it. phenomenal device that really only suffers from the atom 2760 (which brings atom/ddr2 issues). considering the cost, limits, and issues of the current w8/8.1 tablet line up, very few meet up with the “overall usability” (not performance) of the elitepad 900. a large part of that magnanimous usability is windows (8/8.1)pro.

I love w8/8.1 in spite of the small issues. extremely useful

Tony, from River City Miami

look Paul Allen said the same thing– minus the monitor issue. i haven’t had that issue.

I think a lot of the complaints from power users were valid in Win8, but not only did 8.1 address most of these, it also added a whole bunch of new power user features. The point that they sometimes raise is about the training of hundreds – thousands of users. It has some validity when you consider out of the box default installation, but 8.1 can be configured to run just like 7 anyway and i expect power users would use more efficient methods than doing vanilla install from disk/usb then manually configuring, When setup for an average enterprise user, a user might never even need to see a start menu or start screen. Average enterprise user does not need to have more than a few shortcuts on the desktop or taskbar.

I agree with your point that power users using shortcuts, i never used the start menu anyway and always used kb shortcuts and i dont think that many windows power users would use it, at least the ones i know.

The bit i dont agree with is that the “facebook class” are the ones complaining. Quite the opposite, i think 8.1 is very suited to this usergroup as you defined it. The loudest noises on the forums are coming from the people who dont use Windows, or only use it sometimes for certain tasks at work etc as they more at home with Mac or a Linux distro as their primary and some of these are very anti-MS regardless of whether the OS is good or bad.

Personally i think 8.1 is the best Windows to date but i do look forward to its continued refinement as i have with every version of Windows.

I still think there is some refinement to do, bringing the start menu back and making it a choice during install would be a great thing to do. However, even if MS do this, a lot of people (on this site in particular) will still find this a good reason to attack and criticise microsoft.

Windows 7.1 is FAR better than any iteration of 8 could ever be! And for the people that are caling the Start Button archaic have no idea about office productivity. Stick to your Macs & other touch type toys. Until Microsoft brings back what made Windows great in the first place, I can only see people sticking with some version of 7 or Vista to get any Windows type of work done. Windows 8 just kills productivity.

Tony, from River City Miami

you are full of it. see my comment above….. if the start menu is killing you productivity, you need to be let go.

windows 7 is great, enough for many, windows 8 is seven plus some nice improvements like the ability to pause file copies of movements

Tig3RStyluS

Yeah i agree, i think the file copy and task manager is a big improvement. But i really do wish MS would take the approach of Teracopy when you switch to advanced view during a file copy. In particular the queue instead of concurrent copy actions and the simplified method of selecting “overwrite, skip, keep existing”. These features are priceless when moving large amounts of data from/to different sources. Teracopy is one of the first apps i install on a new build.

I really feel people do not like to feel stupid, windows 8 works perfectly but if you are on a desktop the old shortcuts from forever and the new ones from windows 7 are really helpful.
I now know that a huge mayority of user do not know what the windows key is for

Coopley

I really really hope that they don’t abandon the metro design language. Say what you will about 8, Metro did look very good and was actually comparable to other companies design languages like apples. It’s no mistake that iOS 7 looks an awful lot like metro.

Also I think 8.1 was a large step in the right direction. I enjoy the full screen app menu over the live tiles, and I think it was better organized than the Windows 7 start menu, but that is just my experience.

Joel Detrow

The visual aesthetic, sure – I love the bold colors and flat interface with sharp corners, it’s great. The use of icons without labels or tiered groups is problematic – lists are simply the most efficient way to present information, because lists can be sorted and grouped in a number of ways.

One of the biggest problems with Metro as a start menu is the same problem human beings have with rooms: think of something you need to do, walk into the next room, immediately forget what it was you were going to do. This is because our brains compartmentalize our thoughts based on location, and perceives a different room as a different place. The fullscreen Metro start menu, being fullscreen and completely obscuring the desktop, has the same effect as walking into another room. It comes up, and one forgets for a moment what they were going to do. 8.1 is a little better, but I still use StartIsBack.

Coopley

Hence why I said the design language. Not necessarily everything about 8. Indeed, whenever I’m using a file manager its in list view unless I need thumbnails for pictures.

me987654

Metro is fine for a mobile computing design language… but it’s a BIG step backwards when it comes to the desktop computing paradigm

pitbullgirl1965

Will they bring back the F8 safe mode function?!
Will they pay for my hours of therapy Win 8 has caused?
Seriously, I’m usually Yay shiny! when new goodies come out, but not this time.
After almost a year I’m breaking down and buying Win 7

Maybe I know that already ,and I think it’s bullshit to change a simple function to one where you have to jump thru hoops.

ETA: thanks to my mad google skills I have the F8 function now in Win 8

pitbullgirl1965

1. Maybe I think it’s ridiculous to replace a simple function with multiple steps you have to google to work them, or spend time figuring out.
Yes, it’s not hard, but it’s irritating.
Fear not PeterPan: Thanks to my mad google skills, I now have my F8 function back. ;)

napsoon

I actually like Metro, The start screen is great,.I hope they keep it going

Daniel

I’ve kind of gotten accustomed to it because I looked up the keyboard shortcuts to everything, but using a mouse is a pain (especially with multiple monitors and trying to use the corners). It’s not very self descriptive either… Windows 8.1 helped greatly but it still feels highly cluttered. Larger widget sizes are needed on desktops and it still needs better organization of apps.

Just don’t understand MS! They have killed off the “start” button in Win 8, why bring it back in Win 9 again? Why Win 9 must look like WIn 7? Can’t they just create a new UI that both friendly and functional? They have ran out of ideas?

“Win 8 snafu” is a journalistic invention. Win 8 wasn’t bad. It was different. It didn’t break like ME or Vista. It was different. Tech writers jumped on the usual reaction to “different” from many users. The articles got lots of hits online and sold advertising. PR is the SNAFU. Is it possible for Microsoft to get positive PR for anything? I don’t think so. Even if it’s perfect, whatever perfect is, Windows 9 sounds like the logical progression of the strategy Microsoft started with Win 8. Purely a PR move to release details as a nod to the screamers. Let them feel like the big bad company has seen the error of their ways and is willing to kowtow to them.

MarcB1969

Make a clean version similar to Windows 7 for workstations and a tiled version for tablets and touchscreen PC’s, and that should satisfy most of us not on the 8 bandwagon. That would be a place to start good start.

Ray C

All the talk of them distancing themselves from Windows 8 is pointless. Update one is coming out this year. There will be no major interface changes to it. With the way Microsoft has moved to doing updates to all it’s software on a yearly basis, Windows 9 was probably due to be released 3 years after 8 anyway. Microsoft is always planning the next product when they release a new one. This idea that they’re trying to hurry up and get a Windows 9 out is just silly. This is completely different from the various problems people had with Vista.

PeterPan

The write is obviously not a Microsoft lover.
Windows 8.1 is great. 8.0 had its problems and RT well, its need is questionable.
The only problem with Windows 8.1 is that it is still missing the full Start Menu which can be easily added (Start 8 has an excellent version)

Windows 8.1 is fast and easy to use even for a Novice. It is stable and very memory efficient.

The problem is that most users are afraid and unwilling to learn something new and if it only looks a little different they start screaming.

Windows 8.1 beats any iOS and you can’t even compare the limited iPads or Android devices with Tables running Windows 8.1.

This Year will be the year of Windows 8 Tablets, They will outsell Apple and I wouldn’t be surprised if they go head on with Android. Look at CES and how many company announced Windows 8 business and consumer tables in the past 3 months. Windows will be back on the corporate side and that’s all they need.

Windows Phone 8 is by no means a dead product that needs a miracle. They already outsell iPhones in many countries and that’s largely only by Nokia. New Vendors are going to produce Windows phones in 2014 and it is likely that corporate usage will multiply, pushing Apple out of the market.

So if any company needs a miracle in 2014 it is more likely to be Apple with its lack of innovation. Too much efforts spend on taking other to court than actually innovate.

me987654

I’ll bet you 10 grand right now that the Ipad will destroy Windows 8 tablets in sales by itself

crescentdave

I use the classic start shell and it gives me back the native power of the Start menu plus an enhanced right click. Win 9 needs to allow for intelligent UI switching when dealing with non-touch devices- metaphorically, much like “responsive” web sites which automatically format and change depending on the size of the screen and the type of device. And I fail to see where mandatory full-screen apps bring anything to the mix- why can’t they be windowed? Many of us actually have large screens and wish to use them. Viewing them. Concurrently. As if they might have some relationship to work flow. And no, I don’t want to be limited to the choices win8 gives me.

Chromebooks were designed for folks who want to focus on basic document creation and web browsing. Knock yourselves out, people.

Microsoft seems slow to learn from their mistakes. Vista, Windows ME, even Windows 3.0. Then there was BOB. Perhaps they should pay more attention to what users DO want and not what their programmers and Engineers want “because it’s sooo cool!”

HarbingerOfLunch

The real problem is that microsoft is driven by old men’s ideas of what young men want (after all, young women don’t use computers, do they? They do! The wanton prideful hussies!)

Truth Teller

Excellent point! They are still trying what worked for them back in the 80s and 90s. Meanwhile, the world has moved on.

andrewwww

What would you know about it Grandpa? I doubt you can even work a computer.

pitbullgirl1965

The best part of Win 8 is watching our IT (who radiates the warm and charm of Irma Grese) explode trying to teach people to use it. That makes me smile

Matt Sowersbry

I can’t wait for Windows 9. I upgraded to windows 8 recently and only execute programs and commands from the command prompt, mainly because I was born in 1980 and DOS was relevant then. It makes me feel smarter than I really am but I know it isn’t true and ultimately I need a motherboard that can support a quad-core CPU to make me relevant now – it’s all so confusing. I hate technology.

Tig3RStyluS

made me chuckle

Matt Sowersbry

I can’t wait for Windows 9. I upgraded to windows 8 recently and only execute programs and commands from the command prompt, mainly because I was born in 1980 and DOS was relevant then. It makes me feel smarter than I really am but I know it isn’t true and ultimately I need a motherboard that can support a quad-core CPU to make me relevant now – it’s all so confusing. I hate technology.

MarkmBha

Loved Xp; love 7. Old habits are hard to change.

Clare

Felt the need to comment as I really don’t know what all the fuss is about. I have used every Windows operating system from Win 3.1 to Win 8.1. Although each one has had its teething problems and I have never jumped straight in at the launch but given the OS time to settle I have taken to each one in turn. Win 8.1 is the best yet. Computing continually evolves and as such we as users must evolve too. All the moaning about any operating system comes from those who never took the time to find out how the OS worked, complained when it didn’t do what they thought it would do, finally got used to it and then saw it change. Computers are things of beauty they don’t always do what we expect and I am sure that Microsoft don’t go out of their way to make things difficult to use. Microsoft need to stand their ground and keep the Metro screen where it is, there is nothing stopping someone spending all their time on the desktop if they need to after all if your an Office user that’s where you will spend all your time. Just wait for office to become app based then there will be cries from all over the place!!!!

me987654

You are making the bold assumption that newer software is always better which is clearly not the case

Clare

No I don’t think that’s what I said at all. I did say I thought 8.1 was the best yet however I am not saying that I think 9 will be better still, in fact some of the proposed changes I think will be in a step in the wrong direction. I agree with some of the other commenters that Windows always seems to make and ok OS then improves it then makes a bad one then scraps it, then makes a good again. Seems to be their cycle. Having gone though all the OS changes since 3.1 I have been able to adapt to the good and the bad but do think that 8.1 has got it right. That’s just my opinion!

Open Source performs best for my purposes – i like the price, the flexibility and the ability to customize from the code up to fit my needs.

rickeroye

I don’t understand the hate. I personally love Windows 8, which got tons
better with 8.1. I love as my desktop OS and especially for my new tablet. I work in IT and after switching from Win 7 to 8 I
wouldn’t want to go back.

Carol Cameomeooo

i wonder how people who are SUPPOSED to be intelligent enough to construct WINDOWS—–happened to go brain dead while putting WINDOWS 8 together—hmmm

David Howell

What do you mean, Windows 8 was two years to late and it’s heart was almost in the right place? I don’t think so! … Past Present or Future it will still be crap. They forgot that desktops are not smart phones. I do not want to use sign language to communicate with my desktop. . I don’t think Microsoft truly understands how abandoned or betrayed many of their long time loyal desktops users felt. They taught us French and expanded our vocabulary over the years. Then they went and wrote an operating system in German and said go figure it out. And it wasn’t even good German.(You can use any two languages you want here, I have nothing against French or German).Windows 8 may indeed be a good operating system beneath the hood, but it is buried beneath a crappy interface. I don’t think MS understands what they did wrong, or even that they did anything wrong. I was furious when they tried to
blame the lack of sales of Windows 8 on computer manufactures for not producing
enough Touch Screen computers or for making under-powered computers that didn’t
perform well. It reminded me of a three year old who was caught doing something
wrong, “I didn’t do it … ah … they did it. It’s their fault.” The fact is I want a desktop/Laptop, not a tablet, don’t force a tablet on me. Do I have a lot of hope for
windows 9?, No. I think Microsoft is committed to one operating system for all three platforms and I am afraid that a “One Size Fits All” operating system will come at a cost. That cost will be the loss of optimization, and some functionality, for the desktop/laptop. We have already seen that with windows 8. Maybe this is just the writing on the wall,the death announcement for desktops. I don’t really believe that, tablets may be ok for content consumption, but I don’t think they will ever be the
workhorses that desktops are.
.

eastend27

and bring back old folder icons that you can see, filmstrip view and boot to desktop

eastend27

You want to heal wounds M.S… give us control of the way our computers both look and can by configured again and stop trying to mine data and force us to use your products so you can sell us stuff disguised as operating systems.I would pay $1,000 tomorrow for a updated 64 bit OS that looks and acts like XP. After that if you want to add the addition of an Apps platform fine but first I want my machine to look and preform the way I want it to.that includes a start button that works bringing back filmstrip view and the ability to customize desktop folders to look like XPs I am currently running a $4,500 custom built machine on a 32 bit program that will cease to have support in a few weeks… Does that make any sense no, but it does if I want to get any work done.so come next month I will unplug from the Internet and keep on doing my photo editing, cad and construction Proposals, sure I play games and look at you tube but this 48 year old has a business to run…Somthing M.S. does not seem to appreciate anymore

me987654

The smartphone race is over. MS will never be anything more than a niche player. Android and IOS are too entrenched

Leor

Linux

Carl Sciberras

here’s hoping the multimillion dollar ass spanking turns them back on the right track

Duck_of_Death

” and Windows 8 — though its heart was almost in the right place — was a couple of years too late”
—
Huh? No. Win8 was obsolete on arrival. And why would they keep Metro when that’s the heart of Win 8? If Win 8 has a bad rep, are they saying that users are flocking to Metro? I guess that’s the kind of logic we have come to expect from Microsoft.

Robert M Jordan

Oh thank god

Robert M Jordan

Oh thank god

dc

MS is making a huge mistake. The purpose of W8 should have been to familiarize users with the Metro interface, which it did, but then we saw a disastrous pattern of backpedaling which may be made even more tragic with the release of W9.

What Microsoft needs to do is follows:
1) Eliminate desktop entirely.
2) Block applications that simulate the defunct Start Menu and Desktop.
3) Restrict Windows to apps purchased only on the MS storefront and eliminate all 3d party software vendors all together.
4) Create their own version of Google+ and automatically register all users for it when they create their now mandatory Microsoft Account.
5) Get rid drivers for disk drives/ CD/DVD/Blueray type devices to require as much data as possible to be downloaded from the Microsoft store.

This will improve user functionality. It will have its share of naysayers at first, but the public will eventually come around and accept the new and improved Microsoft Ecosystem.

.

Daniel

1) No. You would lose compatibility with 99% of desktop software and people would hate them. You can’t just force the transition or people will find alternatives.

2) See 1.

3) No, why do you think Android is beating Apple in smartphone sales? It sounds like you’re trying to turn Microsoft into Apple. You do realize Microsoft is the only reason Apple is still around right? They were practically bankrupt and Microsoft bailed them out.

4) Windows 8/8.1 uses the Windows Live account as the main option already, while leaving the old accounts intact. Social Media doesn’t need to be “built in”, and it raises privacy concerns.

5) Only one I agree with you on. For a device to be “Windows X certified” the driver should be available automatically through either Windows Update or some new form of it for devices.

The problem is they drove a lot of windows users to mac. Actually i was angry after such a frustrating experience. Really. Who does this? I returned the laptop, and bought Apple. God Bless Apple.

Auto Motive

I just bought a new laptop 1080HD I7 core 16GB 1 TB with touchscreen. It should be arriving soon. Looking forward at learning windows 8.1 -Seniors in my age group don’t know how a computer is turned on but during my 41 years at a major steel firm I jumped into our first dumb terminals in 1974. We were the first to dominate with computers. Training at Carnegie Mellon and my career in training commercial sales and mill operators new software all the way to my retirement. Last was Oracle suite 7 development and personnel training into a sales platform. Now I look forward to learning new tech and even helped owners of new 2013 Lincoln MKC owners navigate Fords my touch which doesn’t have any control knobs. But with complaints from their older buyers the knobs have returned for 2014. You have to know who your buyers are and develop technology which is intuitive and operates seamlessly. Ask your parents.

Marc Shakter

Because rushing to market with dog shit in a box has worked so well for them every other time….

Herb

red alert 2 isnt compatible with windows 8. windows 8 sucks

dgladys

You spelt it wrong. Its “Windows? Nein.”

Comefollowme

You spelled it wrong. It’s Windows

Lurch

To late 2015.

Ryan

Really? Microsoft is going to “fade into consumer obscurity” if it doesn’t have a great OS? ROFL, waaaay too much legacy support for that to probably EVER happen.

HarbingerOfLunch

microsoft tools, office, server etc are here for a long time, but, yes, windows client could easily become less and less of a force. Is, arguably, already on that road as we speak.

Boomer

In my opinion, if Win 9 is not full Metro, it will be a sad failure. Haters like you can say what you want provided it is in the context of opinion. But pure fact, your wrong about Win 8. Win 8 has been awesome. Sure you get bounced back to the desktop for some apps. That needs to be fixed. But in general, Win8 is a winner. It’s the poor reporting, non-fact based lies, and frankly anti-Microsoft cheerleaders that are hurting Win8.
Look, Linux is fine for the tinkerer. Apple is fine for the self absorbed people. And Android is great for entry level texting and browsing. But the rest of the world needs simplicity. Hello Microsoft. And as for open source, not in a business world. The cost of open is too great.
So get off Microsoft’s back unless you have developed something better we can critique.

HarbingerOfLunch

So what exactly is so great – ‘awesome’ – about metro? I’m not talking about tablets here, as microsoft’s penetration of the tablet market is still in rounding-error territory, I’m talking about people who have to actually do something with their computer other than learn how to ‘swipe’ for ‘charms’. What the world doesn’t need is a primary-coloured, infantile toy UI. Goodbye, microsoft.

Rob

Yes Windows 9 will be metro only. It will be able to run metro apps inside floating panel, just to let this people think they still have a desktop, but it will be really Metro only.
All this people will be forced to use it and maybe they will start to appreciate it.
It’s the only way, after all there is a study that say that 90% of the Windows user can accept anything and will stay on Windows, so the move of Microsoft to force it up is the right one, they will never switch and the platform will be better and modern and profitable.

JohnDeaux

Windows 8 sucks, period. YOU may worship MS enough to suffer through it, I won’t. That’s why when my son and daughter needed a tablet, went with Apple ipads and when I needed a tablet, I went with Lenova with Android. Windows 8 is the best thing ever,,,, for IOS and Android OS.

Rob

Things are getting worst any day, please be active to reply to windows haters:

1. Anyone who says they don’t like Windows 8 has never used it.

2. Anyone who doesn’t like Windows 8 is stupid.

3. Anyone who doesn’t like Windows 8 is “afraid” of change.

4. I’ve upgraded my 8 year old laptop that has 1 GB ram and 80 GB HD with Windows 8 and it runs 10 times faster than with XP.

5. I bought a Windows 8/Window RT device for each and every member of my family and they ALL simply LOVE it!

6. Windows 8 is EXACTLY like Windows 7, only better!

7. Metro UI is REALLY the same as the Start Menu.

8. Poor acceptance of the Windows 8/Windows RT/Metro UI is all the fault of the “Apple Fanboi” and “Windows 8 hater” writers and blog posters. Their negative comments are what have caused the average non-technical consumer who never reads these web sites in the first place to stay away from Windows 8 in droves. If only the “press” had given Windows 8 a “fair” shake, it would have been a roaring success (even though the public doesn’t read the tecnical press in the first place).

9. I’m a business consultant and ALL of my business clients have been clammering for Windows 8 and they ALL just love it when I install it and they now realize how much FUN computing can be!

10. I’m in IT and NONE of our employees have trouble learning Windows 8, and they LOVE it!

11. You must be old!

12. My 75 year old mother and my 5 year old girl are running Windows 8 with no problems.

13. You are obviously a troll

Bobby

1. Windows 8 took away the start button for no reason. It’s like coming out with a new TV and not giving the user a remote control.

2. I have a Masters in Computer Science and an IQ of over 150. I don’t care to waste my time learning an OS that completely changes everything I’ve known for 20 years.

4. My computer with XP SP2 still boots faster than my laptop did with Windows 8.

5. I bought a laptop with Windows 8 for my family and we hated it so much we almost threw it out instead of simply returning it.

6. Windows 8 isn’t even remotely close to Windows 7. That’s like saying Cantonese is the same as English only better.

7. Metro UI isn’t the same as the Start Menu. Not even close.

8. The poor acceptance is because of the lack of a Start Menu that everyone has known for almost 20 years and the ridiculous attempt to turn desktops and laptops into app machines like ipads and iphones. We desktop users want DESKTOPS!

9. None of the companies I run advertising for have changed to Windows 8. Many still use XP instead of Windows 7. They claim it would be too inefficient to switch and would cost too much money because it’s so difficult to learn!

10. I’m a computer programmer and neither myself nor my colleagues could even figure out how to turn a Windows 8 computer off.

11. I’m 31.

12. Hilarious.

13. YOU are obviously a troll.

Rob

The new update has the start menu. So top to complain, you wanted a start menu and you got it.
Clicking it you are ported to the wonderful modern interface that all windows users love.

After al the path is clear, Windows will be ‘modern’ Metro only.

Microsoft is switching to ‘touch only’ as anyone has understood. Just look at Build 2014, no mention of the desktop. Its dead despite many says it is not. The interface of the Nokia phone is the interface of any PC running Windows. It’s all unified.
Microsoft had already made its choice.

In around 2/3 years it will be only one company supporting a desktop with windows: Apple with OS X.

Bobby

HAHAHAHA!!! Right, like Microsoft is going to turn it’s back on the entire working world and tell them to go buy tablets. You sir are completely insane… wow.

Matt

1. Win8 was supposed to be the beginning of the touch screen era for desktops. That’s why the start button was taken away… Research has shown that it’s more natural to slide the finger to activate a menu than to tap a button. That being said, BOTH should have been an option from the start.

4. Try a PC with a UEFI BIOS, an SSD hard drive and Windows 8. Boot time of less than 3 seconds (from power off.. not from sleep mode) and everything is very snappy. I’m not saying go buy a computer, but for those in the market, look for this combination!

10. Alt-F4 from the desktop. Much easier than to figure out where the shutdown options went.

HarbingerOfLunch

14. You are obviously an opinionated idiot. Only an idiot would say ‘you refuse to like what I like? how dare you!” You like this shit, whoopy f***ing doo! But don’t dare to stick your stupid face out into the world and insult people who happen to prefer something else.

Rob

You are a bit altered in your emotional reactions. It would be enough to say that you don’t agree with my opinion and you don’t like Metro aka the modern interface.
Microsoft will consider for sure your valued opinion and will change the route (if you were more polite in expressing your opinion).
You are so rude that for sure, with customers like you, Microsoft could decide to go Metro only in the future (as they did).
All the tools to develop for the desktop are dead, no one develops new project for the desktop, so you see, Metro is beautiful and anyone is hopping on.
The desktop is dead, so, like it or not, all I said in the 13 points, is, as seen by Microsoft, TRUE, and you can’t do nothing to change it because Microsoft is Microsoft, they own a control the system and decide what lives and what not, and you are just nothing.

HarbingerOfLunch

‘Altered in your emotional reactions’? Obviously English is not your first language and thinking not your strong suit. You were the one who started the rudeness;

“

1. Anyone who says they don’t like Windows 8 has never used it.

2. Anyone who doesn’t like Windows 8 is stupid.

3. Anyone who doesn’t like Windows 8 is “afraid” of change.”

Coming back to you now? Ie, “Anyone who doesn’t agree with me and like the same things I like is ‘stupid'” That, my friend is rude and moronic.

Rob

That was just a list going around, copied and pasted there.
Anyone supporting totally Windows 8 will never publishing it. It’s plain clear to ‘almost’ anyone.
I see that without ‘README INCLUDED’ you are not able to understand it, even if we were speaking your mother language.
Go figure if you were speaking another language, as many has to do.

I know my english is far from perfect, but using it to attack me proofs nothing.

Vista was bad but Windows 8 was the worst piece of shit Microsoft ever invented. everything they did for it was suited for tablets, not PCs, they need to keep the OS separate.

disqus_eYfZ4hAgCK

Too bad for my Lumia 520. I just use to web browse and text. Once the app store dies, I get as much usefulness out of as my old Samsung Jack on Windows Mobile ;P

Comefollowme

I bought and installed Windows 8.1 because my friends kept asking me questions about it and I installed Classic Shell to get rid of those ridiculous tiles and boot right into desktop mode like Windows 7.
One good thing about Windows 8 is the boot time. That’s it.

makomau

win8 is ok but fail in design…with a couple of some colarated aero themes will be great…

@LLARD

Make Windows 9 just as windows 7 and windows vista

eastend27

with Filmstrp View

Ben

It needs to be a free update!!! Im really hoping!!!!

dc

Here is some good advice for MS, don’t listen to the detractors. The best thing to do is to go deeper down the rabbit hole, not back. The next generation of Windows should require Windows Kinect units to be installed to better navigate Metro. Any computer without a Window’s Kinect would simply not function. This is the only way to force developers to use Window’s Kinect and ensure that everyone loves Metro.

If metro and the ribbon are gone I will upgrade otherwise I will stick with windows 7 Aero.
They should take a que from linux, I like Mate others like unity, cinnamon, or kde. In windows, those that like metro could have it, while I and others could have Areo back.

dianab

Last night while using W8, all I wanted to do was sort and edit photos from my family picnic earlier in the day and share them on Facebook. In the past, on my W7 laptop I would easily edit, crop, save, drag & drop into folders and organize so that I could upload to Facebook to share. The job would have been done last night with W7. Today, 30 hours after the picnic, I am still trying to figure out how to do that on W8. MS took away it’s excellent photo editor ‘Picture Manager’ and as per their forums I need to use Word to edit the photos now because the new beautiful looking W8 photo viewer has limited tools. WTF? this new process MS offers me to process 200 pics is ridiculous!! I’m importing the photos to a Word doc and editing and saving as new
photos — so crazy, I feel I will NEVER get through this tedious process!! Will my photos matter by the time I get done? All of my relatives who don’t have W8 have already posted theirs. I am so tired of reading instructional pages and forums to just get photos up online for my family — or how to do anything in W8 for that matter. That is how I found this article… googling how to do this and that in W8, I mean, I already know how to do/use so may things on a PC why can’t I just have the tools i need to do them anymore?

ocdhd

Sorry I have to say this to you. But you are an utter moron. Don’t touch your pictures until you learn how to use a computer. Infact, copy all of your pictures, print them, and leave the computer alone. You do not need to use Word to edit pictures. There are vastly superior and light weight picture editing programs out there that are much better than Windows picture viewer. Go find out. Windows 8 is not your problem, your stupidity is. That said. Windows 8 and 8.1 are bland and terrible. The Start screen has limitations when it comes to arranging, renaming, categorizing icons, etc. Icons in big ugly boxes. It’s just an Ugly screen. They should have taken the Start Menu and made it better. Start Screen and Crap “Apps” are the reason Microsoft sucks. If Microsoft made a better product and advertised it as hard as Crapple does, maybe they’d be better. In the end, 90 percent of the population does not belong behind the following 3 Tools. 1) Cars 2) Computers 3) Cell phones. Good luck!

dianab

Thank you for you kind words and help! The internet is full of friendly and helpful strangers.Anyhow editing in Word was the advice of Microsoft 1 (800) 642-7676. Which I find silly too. Anyhow, thanks for advising not to use a computer but it’s too late I have been doing so for almost 30 years in professional engagement.

“There are vastly superior and light weight picture editing programs out
there that are much better than Windows picture viewer. Go find out.” Since you are not as stupid as I am please list some of these things here. And just so you know since it’s been a while I have already purchased adobe photoshop which by sheer a miracle from God I have learned to use because I am such a stupid moron. Good luck to you you nasty a-hole. And if you find good free photo editing tool for download please mention it.

dianab

Thank you for you kind words and help! The internet is full of friendly
and helpful strangers.Anyhow editing in Word was the advice of
Microsoft 1 (800) 642-7676. Which I find silly too. Anyhow, thanks for
advising not to use a computer but it’s too late I have been doing so
for almost 30 years in professional engagement.

“There are
vastly superior and light weight picture editing programs out
there that are much better than Windows picture viewer. Go find out.”
Since you are not as stupid as I am please list some of these things
here. And just so you know since it’s been a while I have already
purchased adobe photoshop which by sheer a miracle from God I have
learned to use because I am such a stupid moron. Good luck to you you
nasty a-hole. And if you find good free photo editing tool for download
please mention it.

dianab

Also, you mis-read: I was talking about Microsoft Picture Manager which was a very helpful FREE tool for fast simple edits (or simple idiots like me LOL). NOT “picture viewer” which, just to be clear… FYI…. is not an editing tool at all. You may have not known about it because I was introduced to it after taking an advanced class for MS Office in 2003.

BTW here is a free and open source tool http://www.gimp.org/ I just want to impress upon you that I know how to use the interweb. And I have been driving car with no traffic infractions and doing my own taxes since 1985… I know, it’s unbelievable.

Thanks again for your kind help! You make the world what it is.

dianab

Thank you for you kind words and help! The internet is full of friendly
and helpful strangers. Anyhow editing in Word was the advice of Microsoft 1 (800) 642-7676. Which I find silly too. Anyhow, thanks for advising not to use a computer but it’s too late I have been doing so for almost 30 years in professional engagement.

“There are vastly superior and light weight picture editing programs out there that are much better than Windows picture viewer. Go find out.”

Since you are not as stupid as I am please list some of these things here. And just so you know since it’s been a while I have already purchased adobe photoshop which by sheer a miracle from God I have learned to use because I am such a moron. Good luck to you! And if you find a good free photo editing tool for download please mention it.

Also, you mis-read: I was talking about “Microsoft Picture Manager“ which is a very helpful FREE tool for fast simple edits (or simple idiots like me LOL). NOT “picture viewer” which, just to be clear… and FYI…. is not an editing tool at all. You may have not known about it because I was introduced to it after taking an advanced class for MS Office in 2003.

BTW here is a free and open source tool http://www.gimp.org/ I just want to impress upon you that I know how to use the interweb. And I have been driving car with no traffic infractions and doing my own taxes since 1985… I know, it’s unbelievable.

Thanks again for your kind help! You make the world what it is.

(this is the 3rd time I reply and my post disappears — probably because I’m dumb)

ocdhd

Don’t really want to get into a back and forth with you. Computers aren’t for everyone. You like spending your money getting involved in pointless things good for you. Who the hell in their right mind calls Microsoft? You think the programmers at Microsoft are providing support or what? No. It’s just some idiots who are given a piece of paper to handle idiots on the other end. And you pay for it. Your post sounds like a child defending itself. You are not forced to use Windows 8. Put Windows 7 on your computer, and use that. Problem solved.

dianab

Hi again, thanks for your help! Did you find any

“vastly superior and light weight picture editing programs”

that you can suggest?

Please don’t apologize for calling me an “utter moron” …. perhaps you are ugly, and it hurts to be so unattractive, but who is going to tell you? Certainly not your mom! That’s what strangers on the internet are for. People helping people.

Adobe products are way, way, way over my head… but I figure learning them might help me grow neurons and improve my professional skills –which if you think that’s a waste of time and money, try buying a laptop with W8 and then searching for someone to sell you W7 and install it! Anyhow Photoshop is more photo editor than I need sometimes, so I still wish I had something like “PICTURE MANAGER” which is an “editing tool” (like I said in the very first post). I sort of know the difference of the two programs, as stated previously, I use them.

Speaking of stupid… you know who are total idiots? The General Manager and the Tech department at the company I work for. I asked to go back to Windows 7 and they were all like “No, the upgrade cost thousands of dollars and you have to learn how work in the new Windows 8 environment.. blah blah blah” They are as dumb as looking up information in forums or watching instructional videos or calling technical support numbers. Ugh, who does that?!?!? People at work hate W8 (and 8.1) too, so I am going to share your advice and tell them.. “Hey, guys, maybe computers are just not your thing.” I’m going to suggest we all get typewriters at the next staff meeting.

Anyhow I don’t want to get into a back and for with you either because I am so childish and stupid that its really just too difficult for me… like using a computer. So if you don’t have any constructive advice (see paragraph one), please feel free to move on. There are 370 other posts on this article. Thanks for your help!

Dennis

Calling Windows 8 a train wreck is not accurate. They are usually accidents. I can’t imagine how many man hours it wasted. Every other question from my workers was ….how do I …..with this computer. Microsoft should have remembered how great a success “New Coke” was. Destroying employee productivity when a new operating system comes out is shameful.

Dennis

Calling Windows 8 a train wreck is not accurate. They are usually accidents. I can’t imagine how many man hours it wasted. Every other question from my workers was ….how do I …..with this computer. Microsoft should have remembered how great a success “New Coke” was. Destroying employee productivity when a new operating system comes out is shameful.

Dan Rubin

So what are they going to do to us MS Surface Pro 2 owners?

David EWING

I dont care about apps.
I dont want a touchscreen.

Like millions of others, I use a PC for real work. Not as a toy.

If MS want to get into toys, why dont they just buy shares in Nintendo!

ocdhd

^ This guy nailed it.

Jillxz

They can leave the Metro off the desktop and laptops altogether. Nobody in their right mind wants Metro.

william russell

Hey all they should bring back windows xp it was simple and easy to use for the average common non computer person. Windows 8, 8.1 is horrible and very hard and difficult to use. The fact that so many stayed with windows xp has to tell you how many people were happy with the system./ If Ms was smart they will have two things on the start up screen, windows xp updated system, than windows 8, 8.1, 8.2 9 and allow the computer to work in the system they understand and like.

Well, this is interesting news. I do not like Windows 8, but I quickly found out how to use it, then help others optimize it. I do not trust all those multitudes of background processes it contains, and I do not trust Microsoft to not have back-doors and to be selling user profiling data to third parties to make a little extra coin on the side.

I never had any problems with Vista itself. I had trouble with drivers written FOR Vista, and some compatibility issues with software that was badly implemented for that system, but I never had any problems with the OS itself. I think that most of the problems that people have with computers, exist between the keyboard and the chair.

ocdhd

The point of an operating system is so the user can start doing things they actually want to do. Not spend time Customizing and Optimizing. Microsoft makes it terribly difficult to change things around. From Terrible font choices, Menus, etc, to Bloat. It takes about a good 3 hours to Customize Windows 7 GUI to a personal preference and that’s it. Nothing else gets in the way. It just sits there and does what it does while the User does what they are trying to do. Change is good only if it benefits society in a measurable way. Has anyone measured the benefit of Windows 8? Windows 7 does what 8 does. Heck, Windows 7 could use a GUI Uplift. Microsoft continues to fail to provide the user with an easy to customize every aspect of how their Windows should look. But let me tell you Windows is still a heck of a lot better than the other guys once you got it configured the way you want.

in the comments on this site, they are going to be burned whatever they do. Agree with most of what you say though.

ocdhd

There are always a couple of morons who will take anything and praise it. There’s nothing you can do about them. Windows 8 is less than functional. I enjoyed the “idea” of the start screen, but the way its implemented is the disaster everyone hates. They should have improved the Start Menu itself, and made it more customizable, like a Window. They should have kept their App store away and like an App rather than it constantly intruding into Windows core functionality. Ofcourse there are many idiots who don’t know what they want until Microsoft decides for them and once they get it they like it. They are just lazy and cannot think for themselves. They are the same people who love a hack job like Windows 8. They see nothing wrong with its bland ugly and hard to customize design. At the Core, Windows 8 is great. At the user interface level, it is a disaster. Just because those guys are up there in big offices does not mean they are better. Windows 8 proves that idiots can and do exist at every level in our society.

WeNeedLiberals

If all the people defending windows 8 were right, Microsoft wouldn’t be changing it. I work in a professional computer environment…every hates it. I have friends and family who are are consumer level computer users…everyone hates it. The schools here have ALL switched to Macs in the classroom. iMacs to be specific. Windows 8 is just like Windows Millennium Edition and Windows Vista. Their were fans who let everyone know how stupid they were for not liking it but guess what? They were all wrong. Just like these other OS’, Windows 8 will soon be a distant memory.

thegodfather4u

Well as a retired guy over 60, I keep busy by repairing & rebuilding computers, and use the best of the best software, BUT……..since I had installed W8 in my grandaughters laptop and hearing her cry to give her W7, I took a hard look at W8……bluntly its CRAP…….just as ME/ME Gold/Vista were pure garbage. Its time MS realizes when a consumer buys a product for his/her private use THEY OWN IT! Its not for the collection of information to MS from the user’s computer, I’m really sick of MS intrusion into our privacy with “Trusted Installer” owning the software we purchased, and the computer we own. Bottom line , grow up MS and realize W7 was a winner and capitalize on that ………Remove your ownership when a customer installs it……….IT IS THEIRS…………

Nightgazer

I hope Win9 is something like Win XP.

eastend27

AMEN! With Filmstrip View!

BrS

I hope we’ll be able to disable that Start Menu monstrosity. We were really glad to see it go and glad it did not return in 8.1

Nothing wrong with windows 8, I have windows 8.1 I think it’s great, still has the old desktop screen. I do hope they carry on with it and bring out windows 8.1.1 or windows 8.2. The tiles are great and make the desktop experience alot more fun. Windows XP, Vista AND 7 were so boring.

Just shows the real I.Q. of IT people that they can’t figure out windows 8.1, really makes me laugh, it is the easiest OS to use. It’s worrying times for the government that the average IQ in this country is so damn low.

ocdhd

Ok Genius, how much IQ do you use to get up and walk around and do other bodily functions? Or to interact with your world. You think IQ measures intelligence? Let’s say it does, how does it measure how we interact with things? You want to know why people are upset? Because Windows core got better, but the GUI which the user uses to interact with Windows, got worst. It didn’t fix Windows 7 issues. It created NEW issues for people to deal with. When I get into a Car of any kind, I am not trying to learn how to drive. Basic things are where I expect. Controls where they are normally found. You get my drift smart ass?

masher

Please keep using Windows 8.1. The industry is moving on but you stay here on Win 8.1. Ok?

Really the industry is moving on, are you sure ? you need to do a little more reading I think, because 8.1 is the very latest OS and windows 9 will not be coming till mid 2015, Windows 9 is only going to be a slight change from Windows 8.1, so keep on waiting for change. By the way 8.1 is a radical change from previous OS’s so there is change, so please keep on waiting for this change that doesn’t exist while some of us enjoy 8.1 goodbye.

masher

Whatever you do don’t look at Ubuntu or OSX.

ocdhd

What Windows 8 should have been.
1) Windows 7 start menu but stretchable, customizable, fill in the blanks (however the user wants)
2) Better Control Panel organization.
3) Ctrl+ to zoom without losing Quality (Some of those fonts are awful small)
4) All text MUST fit regardless of how large or small the user wants their text in dialog boxes, etc etc.
5) Not necessary to Log in to a Microsoft account. Be able to Merge accounts easily, Be able to change User name.
6) Encrypting File System as an option and with plenty of warnings and certificate Backups with plenty of warnings
7) Decide which processes can be frozen
8) Better handling of application permissions
9) Better integration of 3rd Party software update handling

I could probably think of more but Microsoft is a train that runs into a wall, backs up gets a new paint job, and goes and does it again. It won’t get better for a long long time. And the number 1 reason most people are mad? Because the “Other guys” are worst offenders. So people are frustrated that the 1 guy who almost pleases them, continues to always be the “ALMOST” guy. Never coming out with a definite solution but just barely there. That is Microsoft. Live with it folks.

eastend27

Filmstrip view

ocdhd

Someone needs to take what I said here to Microsoft. They need to know. They need to get it done right. Not keep being the Almost Guy.

Jay

They should just go back to windows 7 and stop fooling themselves.
I have never felt close to tears navigating a windows product! It was a total disaster and this time I will wait for looooong before purchasing any windows product.
My god!

ocdhd

Here’s what I think the reason why Windows 8 was released. It was to gauge how the public reacts to it. I do not think any quantifiable real world testing was done on this product. Also, when major players in big companies “resign” they are heading to retirement and usually deals are made where these guys are made to look like they did a major fuck up, and they are willing to be the sacrificial goat in turn for a large chunk of cash and early retirement. News media releases stories, and it all goes away after about a month given the ADD tendencies of the public, and everyone forgets and moves on. This is a good way for the Company to free itself from any blame, and blame it on the guy that resigned. In reality, Windows 8 was just a Test to gauge where the public is and the differences between Public consumer and business usage practices. A business can still buy Windows 7. The backend architecture of Microsoft has not affected anybody. It is still chugging along just fine. This test took place at the expense of the average idiot consumer. Lots of big companies play this game. Microsoft is not the only one. They release products with sub standard functionality. The “almost” product. Knowing damn well they can just go out and do the right thing from day One. Then some unknown or known for conservative practices type company comes out of nowhere and changes the game (Samsung). Look at where Google is going. They started good, but now they are heading the same way as Microsoft. Apple on the other hand has stuck to their game. They have a walled garden product, and they are not ashamed of it. They don’t change rapidly. They know their product is good for their target consumer, even though it is non-standard. They stick by it, year after year, producing over priced but beautiful looking garbage.
Microsoft is not going anywhere, but they will suddenly release an operating system everyone will love as soon as they start losing more than they can afford. The problem is, no one else can step up and take them on. Windows 8 sucks, but the alternatives are worst. There are people here who will disagree, but when their minds settle down to get things done rather than constantly “tweaking” their Linux, they will realize this.
So don’t hold your breath, just hold on to your patience. It will get better.

Anne N Emous

This is god awful. Companies like Microsoft shouldn’t have to pander to the idiots who don’t like change. The fact is that Win8.1 is the best version of Windows yet. Just because you can’t tell the difference between a change in design and a change in functionality doesn’t mean the rest of us should have to suffer by losing the Metro interface.

ocdhd

Anne N Emous Hahahahaha Do you also like talking Donkeys and Cars with 1 wheels?

Kat

You seem like the type who does a lot with their pc.

PVW

I’m ok with windows 8 (I even have a windows 8 phone which I’m not ok with but that’s another topic). The OS is very fast and stable for my machines at least. But I can’t remember the last app I ran using the metro interface on a PC. Metro tries to move users away from using “windows” which is what made the original Windows OS a step up from DOS in the first place.

masher

Pander? We pay for this product.

ocdhd

Dont worry, that Anne N Emous is a troll from the 3rd world. Probably got paid in rubels or rupees or pesos to type that out. Hey Anne N Emous, we do like change. Please go change your brand of mint, and bubble bath because you smell like a horrible troll.

John Henry

I am currently using windows 8.1 and it loads very slow during start up on a brand new i7 dell , It loads 7 to 10x slower than windows 7 on my old ladptop that I also still have . The

integrated xbox dashboard locks up and freezes alot . There is still alot of issues under the hood that piss me right off frequently . I think it is already to late for them to invest into fixes the OS desperately still need to be what they thought it was going to be .

armchairnavigator

So who took responsiblity for the catastrophic loss of the start menu and got fired ?

Guest

People who think that Windows 8 is the new best compromise between
desktop and touch operating systems, and think that anyone who says
otherwise is a caveman, is missing the point. Windows 8 is U.G.L.Y. It
feels like a children’s toy. To my genereation, which grew up relying on
Windows, it’s a total slap in the face. I used to play ‘PC Genius’
floppy disk games way back in the 1990s. Most of them looked better than the metro start screen does now.

It effectively feels like a challenge to find something better, do
better, learn how to program, learn how to get round UEFI, learn about
different operating systems…which most of us promptly did. We may have
grown up coddled by the convenience of the Start menu, but we are not
idiots. If we want to spend our hard-earned on a tablet, we can do
better, and if we want to get any work done ever again on our desktops,
we could scarcely do worse.

Leo Quattro

I really don’t know what is childish about tiles and live tiles with social updates info (just like Windows 7 widgets) compared to cartoonish icons against a cute wallpaper. Maybe you’re missing the point that for anyone used to a prompt and string interface a Desktop is childish too, in fact nothing look “professional” about a desktop: the simple drawn icons, the “cute” wallpapers, the kiddish docks. You just got used to it, that’s the only reason why you think a Desktop is not childish and Metro UI is

Emma

Anyone who thinks that Windows 8 is the new best compromise between
desktop and touch operating systems, and think that anyone who says
otherwise is a caveman, is missing the point. Windows 8 is U.G.L.Y. It
feels like a children’s toy. To my genereation, which grew up relying on
Windows, it’s a total slap in the face. I used to play ‘PC Genius’
floppy disk games way back in the 1990s. Most of them looked better than the metro start screen does now.

It effectively feels like a challenge to find something better, do
better, learn how to program, learn how to get round UEFI, learn about
different operating systems…which most of us promptly did. We may have
grown up coddled by the convenience of the Start menu, but we are not
idiots. If we want to spend our hard-earned on a tablet, we can do
better, and if we want to get any work done ever again on our desktops,
we could scarcely do worse.

Katherina

Hello every body, my name is jan and i just want to let you all know that having a broken heart is not an easy thing, but no matter how bad your situation may be, i want to let you all know that there is a way to get your ex chasing you around again wanting to be with you, because this is exactly what i did when my boyfriend left me for someone else and i am happy today cause he is back. LAVENDERLOVESPELL@YAHOO.com was were i got the chance to get my boyfriend back and i will also want you all to give it a try.

masher

As I struggled to get Windows 8 to a usable state which it finally is, I kept thinking “I’m actually paying money for this OS”. Now I’m thinking of rebuilding that laptop with Ubuntu. Ubuntu isn’t perfect but it is stable, its free, and it far more easily runs certain open source projects. All the best open source and innovative software runs best on Linux and OSX these days.

Leo Quattro

Ubuntu is not stable. In fact I wasn’t able to run it and it didn’t detect half of my hardware. I was suggested by Linux experts two things: string installations that didn’t work (and they admitted it that when something doesn’t work on Linux you are in deep troubles) or buying Linux compatible hardware. Linux has so many problems one doesn’t know where to begin, expecially ubuntu the worst distros of them all, but the major problems is the intellectual and technical incompatibility between protocols, how the developers never made their mind up as to what focus their work on instead of each working on different protocols, standards, OS and useless new releases (mostly causing new crashes and incompatibilities after installation) every 6 months.

Ruth Robinson

They need to stop having half baked Indian I T people develop these products. I know they are cheap to hire, but the innovation, the quality and the adherence to either budgets or schedules is nil. Whenever I touch Windows 8, I can see some person from a slum country using his cultural lack of knowledge to develop an absolutely awful interface that simply doesn’t suit Western culture. But he has been cheap to hire. Microsoft needs to update and re implement Windows 7. Many people buying laptops today are specifying Windows 7 operating systems.

armchairnavigator

Microsoft just needs taking outside and squashing. They fucked up windows 8.0, they had a whole ton of shit because they fucked it up, they then said they had fixed it all with windows 8.1, and guess what, they fucked up windows 8.1. When are microsoft going to realised that they simply should quit because a bunch of retards in a mental asylum could do better.

Racer X

If history is any guide, they’ll get it back in Win 9. Anyone notice every other MS OS since Windows 95 has been an unmitigated disaster?

Yeah, Windows 8 is such a fucking shit. Nice to know that Windows 9 will be with Windows 7 like start button and menus.

Selena

Nice job MS. Still not thrilled with the apps crap, but at least now they will let us ignore them instead of stuffing them in my face every day with the “metro” annoying rubbish. If I want a touch device with apps I will buy a smart phone, NOT a pc. Just make a normal pc with keyboards and mouses! Why stick your nose where it doesn’t belong? Why join in the hype? Thought you could get some too? Nope.

Also,

This latest information comes from the ineffable and surprisingly handsome Paul Thurrott

Surprisingly handsome? Pics or it didn’t happen ;)

Leo Quattro

I use Windows 8.1, like thousands of people, with a mouse and keyboard and it has never been a problem from day one. Whoever says that the Metro interface and the app are not suited for a mouse and keyboard has neither ever used Windows 8 or completely retarded.

In fact I prefer Metro to the Desktop, it’s easier to use as an application luncher, easier to keep tidy unlike the mess the desktop becomes after few icons have been pinned, easier to use to find your favorite software as they can be easily pinned to the START menu, launched with just one click and ordered by category.

I wished the new Metro UI was a fully functional desktop, where you can open many windows to work because it really rapresents to me what an improved desktop would be (infinite space, icons/tiles always ordered and never scattered, just one click to start them, perfectly grouped by categories) But for know the Metro UI is just the “multimedia/free-time” desktop of Windows. Not bad: people have a choice: the desktop is the working environment and the Metro is the free-time environment. Since they can easily choose what to boot at, I see no problem at all. In fact I see stuff that was’t there before (a sign of improvement) and no lack of what was there before (except for the useless messy START menu that NO ONE used)

John Spahn

“No one” used the Start menu? Idiot. Complete and utter idiot

Leo Quattro

No one used the Start Menu, it’s the most retarded time consuming thing ever when you have a search function you can open with just a key combination and search or whatever software without going through a tiny menu and all its folders without knowing where the thing you need is. Only inept idiots used the Start Menu which is why it is gone for good.

doktormcnasty

When will MS learn that they WILL NOT be present on the mobile platform and just eff off already with making us suffer their useless ambition? Give it up jerkwads (MS idiots – not you, friendly commenters) and realize apple and android have the market.

Gondrum

My work computers are all windows 7 because they were bought before microsoft could slam the door. My wife’s computer died hard and needed replaced then we discovered that microsoft had recalled every copy from the shelves of our local computer stores to force windows 8. They literally demanded that the BX remove and return every copy. We ended up buying a new machine with windows 8 and have never been less happy with an OS in my life. What moron decided that you needed to have yet another layer above administrator before you could change settings on your own computer? Who decided that you would have to spend hours on the microsoft site sifting through junk postings to be allowed the priviledge of removing kids games from the charms preloaded and updated by microsoft? Who decided that you must have a microsoft account before you could set up your own computer? That’s right microsoft. People don’t just dislike the interface they dislike the maze like difficulty of getting even the most routine tasks accomplished that microsoft has placed on this OS.Windows 8 is an open sore rotting away any good will microsoft may have built up with reliability. The OS is just junk.

Guest

Screw That

Ron L

Does anyone else feel like Microsoft has left the people who like Win Xp in the dirt. I have no problem with Win 7, or Win 8.1, but why shutoff support to those who don’t have the funds needed to upgrade. Now I find that alot of site’s will say that they no longer support IE 8 and that’s the best they ever did for Win XP.

Jamanda

These recurring problems with Windows OSs make me consider ever more seriously about switching to Mac. It is UBELIEVABLE that Microsoft could be so obtuse and lacking in intuition with regards usability. It beggars belief. Switching to Mac will not be easy either, since nearly all PCs at work are Windows operated.

CDC

I can find nothing wrong with the windows phone works great and like it much better than the I phone or android

Zack Barkley

I’m very tired of hearing these are simple “sanfu’s” by some of the brightest software engineers in the world…highly doubtful if not ridiculous. Everyone in the know sees the elephant in the room. The reason why the OS systems don’t work well, is because 3rd party interest (government, RIAA, NSA, corporations, social networks, M$ own protectionism) want control of your computer and M$ has done its best to make it their computer and not yours by implementing measures which make the OS very insecure and unecessarily slow (boot log “updates”), constant and unecessary checks of propriety software and drivers, tiltbits, crippling useful functions like search, poorly customizeable interfaces, etc. Just like what happened with the TV industry, there is a lot of money forcing the consumer to do what big business wants and giving a limited choices as possible so they can sell you the sky. What they are doing to OS is antitrust if not frankly illegal and unconstitutional in some cases as well, and if they cared a dime about the consumer rather then just trying to fleece him for his, they would try to make a lighting fast OS for the sole purpose of operating whatever software the user wishes to use. They don’t, and the world and business and economy suffers for it. M$ can never get “back on track” unless it changes its underlying principles and finds again its moral highground, purpose, and mandate.

sarah k

Nice post! This sites is really helpful for us. So many great ideas here. Thanks for sharing!

I use a labtop and the whole swipe thing is trash I get windowed to another program pretty much every 5 minuets and the same motion doesn’t always activate the swipe every time so it’s useless.

who would want to get used to clutch when they can drive automatic.

the charms bar,the metro screen that I never use all of it doesn’t help you learn to use the OS easier or faster it’s just new and mostly pointless and annoying. hell if you want to be fast use /run. (hold windows key and press r)

the guy was fired for making this OS, everyone and their mother hates it, if you like it good for you fight the power and all that. but for the good of everyone who has logical good sense this OS should be burned. dumped. and never spoken of again.

jmart

Windows 8 is a small piece of worthless shit dick garbage. The interface is filthy ugly the user friendliness is non – existent. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent on developing better things and the shit eaters who work there decode to share a meal with us. I will never buy another windows anything I basically bought a $500 brick. I program and the pathetically slow start screen option the worthless desktop which is all but unusable has cost me time and money beyond just the price of this trash. I am truly dissapointed, disgusted, and dissatisfied with windows now.

Nik Norasyikin

I’m okay with win 8, but not okay 8.1 cause it deals in graphic very terrible. if win 9 or 10 would do any better, i would willing to test it. but if not, stay in the win 8 cave is my only option…

Ero Lovespell

i just want to share my experience and testimony here.. i was married
for 6 years to my husband and all of a sudden, another woman came into
the picture.. he started hailing me and he was abusive. but i still
loved him with all my heart and wanted him at all cost…then he filed for
divorce. my whole life was turning apart and i didn’t know what to do
.he moved out of the house and abandoned the kids.. so someone told me
about trying spiritual means to get my husband back and introduced me to
a spell caster…so i decided to try it reluctantly. although i didn’t
believe in all those things… then when he consulted his gods and cast a
return and love spell, after 3days, my husband came back and was
pleading. he had realized his mistakes. I just couldn’t believe it.
.anyways we are back together now and we are happy. in case anyone needs
this man, his email address is eromosalspiritualtemple@gmail.com or thought hid website http://eromosalspiritualtemple.webs.com or call him with +2348161850195

eastend27

Still running XP… Still getting the job done… Still have Filmstrip view… Still happy!

Dr paul

My Name is Eric..I never believed in Love Spells or Magics until I met this special spell caster once when i went to Africa to Execute some business..He is really powerful.The woman i wanted to marry left me 3 weeks to our weeding ceremony and my life was upside down.she was with me for 3 years and i really love her so much..she left me for another man with no reason..when i called her she never picked up my calls and she don’t want to see me around her…so,when i told the man what happened.he helped me to do some readings,and after the readings he made me to realize that the other man has done some spells over my wife and that is the reason why she left me..he told me he will help me to cast a spell that bring her back.At first i was skeptical but i just gave it a try…In 2 days,she called me herself and came to me apologizing..I cant believe she can ever come back to me again EMAIL:otugbelovespelltemple1@gmail.com …. CONTACT HIM TODAY VIA THIS EMAIL ADDRESS: otugbelovespelltemple1@gmail.com AS HIS POWERS ARE SO STRONG AND VERY EFFECTIVE AND HAS NO BAD EFFECT INSTEAD IT HAVE A VERY GOOD RESULT AFTER CASTING THE SPELL. +2348071634974

I WAS THINKING I WAS IN A PROBLEM WITHOUT SOLUTION PRIEST OMIGODO MADE ME TO BELIEVE THERE ARE SOLUTION TO ALL PROBLEM BY BRINGING BACK MY DIVORCE HUSBAND BACK HOME IN JUST 24 HOURS IF YOU ARE IN ANY KIND OF PROBLEM CONTACT PRIEST OMIGODO VIA EMAIL: OMIGODOSHRINE@HOTMAIL.CO.UK OR CALL HIS TEL. +2348079367204

How_delightful

MS Windows 7 Ultimate recently updated itself, and now it infinetly reboots to a Blue screen of Death on my (PC-marketed) “ultra-reliable SSD”: so I have lost thousands of hours of input. I really fkn hate Microcraap. The strain they cause my mind, soul and body needs attending to.

I thank God for the emergence of a much improved Linux OS, and look like I will be installing that this month instead of the garbage I have been forcefed via Billy Gates and his half-baked goons for years.

I am still marred by the destruction of dozens of important documents (Office 2000) which were ripped to shreds when autosaved when opened by MS Office 2007 when that nightmare first emerged. Sure they got a fix out a few weeks later; but the destruction was done; and no apology; nobody fixed the ruin of part of my life and my business.

They are often percieved as evil anti-customer monsters for a reason.

That said; I have invented/designed a solution to prevent millions of customers each having hundreds of hours of PC errors and online-assistance/repair-software requirements for the coming decade/s; but I know if I mentioned it, the PC manufacturers would likely thieve the concept as fast as you could say `BSoD` (just as so many other companies ask for [thieve] `Free` concepts from mugs [customers]), and get rich off the backs of them. Perfidious rats.
Now I can go and spend another ten or twenty hours trying to fix the mess that Microsoft creates and perpetuates.

Aysha Austin

Windows 8.1 has been the biggest waste of my time and has done nothing but cause me aggravation to no end. i am so anti-microsoft that I will never buy another computer that has it as an OS. Never a day without frustration with this new p-os. Microsoft should start paying me a salary for the amount of money I loose constantly by not being able to complete the same amount of work that I could before the downgrade in OS.

micadukey

There hasn’t been a single time that I’ve logged on to Windows 8/8.1 without saying “Eeeww!” Hate it and ir there were an alternative would have jumped ship ages ago. I sure hope W9 is back on track. MS hasn’t made smart or helpful changes in years. When will they start asking professional users before messing up shortcuts and making other dumb changes that strip out any productivity gains??

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